FatCat Records | There’s an apt moniker for a band whose music always seems almost sentimental yet never quite reaches the road of sappiness that so many other bands seem to be going down these days. Frightened Rabbit is well-produced, but not over-produced; they navigate between the more intricate and acoustic melodies of modern indie rock but also sparse, minimal tones not unlike (dare they be mentioned) Coldplay. And Frightened Rabbit deserves anything but points for bravery, as there’s nothing spectacularly new about them. But therein lies their appeal: This is happy, catchy post-new wave indie music, a bit more upbeat then fellow Scots The Twilight Sad, and a welcome part of this new flood of Scottish indie rockers that seems to have broken through the reservoir lately. Their most recent release, Swim Until You Can’t See Land, is perhaps the best example of what folky, indie rock should sound like and to a certain extent always has. And perhaps that’s exactly what Frightened Rabbit wants you to understand –  they’re not going anywhere and they’re fine with that.

Words by Jeff Nau