Wild Gods have released details of their debut E.P (Wren Cathedral Records, July 24, 2026) with the release of first single – the eerie ‘Rest and Be Thankful’.
Titled after a viewpoint along the road to Oban in west Scotland, the leading track evokes the dramatic Argyll landscape through a blend of Celtic folk, Gàidhlig archival samples and drones. It began as a poem by Jamie Livingstone (the spearhead of New Gods) about people “having sex in their cars and looking out across the hills,” before “turning into a tender love song” with the input of vocalist, Susannah Stark.
The video, directed by Odhran MhicLeòid, paints an illusory, monochromatic Scotland, where shadowy figures blend into the living landscape. Throughout, the project blurs the boundary between visibility and disappearance, questioning what endures when forms dissolve into one another. Though ceremonial sounds and the bleakness of the highlands form the backbone of the E.P, Livingstone was equally interested in ideas of infinity and the event horizon of black holes – both formless and without time.
“I wanted these songs to contain the landscapes they come from. There’s a word in Gàidhlig which is relevant here; ‘Fonn’ means not only a melody, but also a mood, a state of mind. It even means the land itself.”
Opener, ‘Keening’ immediately conjures a wild Scotland; hypnotic sub-bass drones beneath echoed bagpipes – their melody matched by ancient Gaelic psalm singing. Its blend of electronic and traditional instrumentation establishes the central dialogue between past and present – creating something haunting and immersive.
‘Carlene’s Pin’ has a swagger to it – closer in sound to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds with its moody bassline and expressive fiddle playing from collaborator, Càit O’Neill. ‘Hilma of Klint’ combines no wave guitar with ghostly samples to switch between authentic Celtic folk music, and something altogether more discordant and uncertain.
Drawn out like rituals, these two tracks make up a hypnotic 18 minutes of Abysmal’s 31 minute run time. Dotted in-between are liminal interludes – seemingly familiar and warm sounds. Their lo-fi production and analogue synths listen like the old-timey music that fills the space on a console pause menu. They lead to the E.P’s final track, ‘Aye Right’; An ambient and sombre two-chord song at heart, its bassline wanders to the sound of ceremonial chants, becoming something otherworldly and enticing.
Whether in the highlands or space, The Glorious Abysmal leans on the familiar. Born out of connection with Vox Liminis, a Glasgow-based community organization who run creative projects for people with experience of the criminal justice system – and underpinned by the rhythms of Gaelic work songs of the Outer Hebrides, it shows both the intimacies and ceremonies of collaboration. It reveals how even the most speculative futures are built from inherited ways of being.
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