Normal Fears, Fatherson’s fourth studio album, comes exclusively pressed to red-marble vinyl, signed and hand-numbered via Blood Records. The album is a lush lesson in letting go. Gorgeous, groove-led singalongs steeped in electronics find the band in a playful mode, putting break-ups, old ways of working and everyday worries behind them to start afresh, sunny side up. “As Scots, it’s not in our nature to be optimistic,” says singer and lead songwriter Ross Leighton. “We find it easier to focus on the bad things in life rather than the good. This time, the darkness leads into light. This is not a break-up album, it’s a build yourself back up album… The title encapsulates the themes of the album - our shared fears and the different ways we choose to deal with them. As personal as our experiences are, our fears are universal. There is comfort in knowing you’re not alone.” The follow-up to 2018’s Sum Of All Your Parts, Normal Fears was largely written remotely, with Ross in his native Kilmarnock and bassist Marc Strain and drummer Greg Walkinshaw in Glasgow. “Our aim was to drop our guard,” says Ross. “Forget what we thought we knew about making music and just have fun. It was less about searching for a sound than trying out new ways of working. We were open to anything… It was the most fun we’ve ever had making an album and I hope you can hear it,” says Ross. “It’s also a lesson to ourselves. We’re best friends in a band. Life is more than alright.”
