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It’s True What They Say is the debut EP from Edinburgh-based, husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), aka Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced “McLochlin”).

“Sarah and I both have a love for nostalgia,” explains Shaun. “We watched that amazing old 80’s Sci-Fi, (John) Carpenter movie, Starman, a few months back. Myself and my brother David used to watch it all the time. We must have been, roughly, 5-7 at the time. I remember loving the movie but the end, you know, with the beautiful, atmospheric, synth ending, I love that particular moment the most - best part of the movie, you know, when he goes home… It’s heartbreaking but stunning, all the same. It’s the music that moves you most… It did when I was 5 and it still does to this day. It must have had some form of a (much deeper) impact on me.”

The duo narrates stories across themes of love, hope, family, friends, dreams and sadness - the good that comes with the bad in everyday life, not just on a personal scale but within a community as well.

“Starbed is the first song I have ever written and just came out of the blue really, with Shaun playing a melody and me singing along,” says Sarah. “It’s simple and just about two people in love. Love songs are always the best songs, after all… Music has been a big part of my life from a young age. I was unwillingly dragged to piano and violin lessons, which I’m thankful for now! I’d say the first band I really became obsessed with growing up were the Beatles, and on the back of that a lot of 60s music and fashion. From then on, I had a love for music.”

“Shaun definitely opened my ears to a lot of sounds and got me thinking about soundtracks and all the noises that can be made,” she goes on. “We love just spending time experimenting in the house with instruments, pedals etc and Ali is a real magician to work with, too…”

The recordings took place over the summers of 2022 and 2023, with fellow Delta Mainline member Ali Chisholm (aka Jaguar Eyes) plus long-term friend and collaborator Gavin King. Further collaboration then came via the ‘net from the (international) likes of Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty), Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz) and Daniel Land (The Modern Painters), among others (see a full list of credits below).

Both Sarah and Shaun have a love for uber-soundtrack producers such as Hanz Zimmer, Max Richter, Cliff Martinez plus live acts such as Beach House, Spiritualized, M83, Suicide, Moby and OMD (to name a few). Shaun also credits the work of Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (from Survive) on the Stranger Things score… “Even a moment in a movie, whether it be just 30 seconds during a particular scene, it grips you,” he says. But there’s something much deeper at play as well. “Music is a healer,” he goes on, “and I write from my own perspective but more so for others. Once I've done my bit, it doesn't belong to me any longer. It belongs to whoever wants it or needs it.”

The result is a cinematic, synth-wavey, dream poppy and downright beguilingly beautiful body of work. And they’re just getting started…

Japan based indie rock band Emptei will be release latest 2nd album on vinyl.
Sounds dreamy, psychedelic and evergreen.Clear green vinyl.

mmy-nominated Marie Davidson’s first release for Soulwax’s Deewee imprint, ‘Y.A.A.M.’, is produced by longtime collaborator Pierre Guerineau and is a cathartic response to power dynamics within the music industry. The rawness of the original is complemented by a new version by Soulwax, who previously reworked Davidson’s acclaimed ‘Work it’ anthem.

“I’ve read somewhere that to be an artist, you have to be willing to sometimes go where it is the most uncomfortable. About a year ago, after receiving a very condescending email related to the business side of music making, I took the opportunity to write down how I felt about the words and the overall tone of arrogance of what I had just been sent.

Quickly, I found myself having a bit too much fun, words flowing from my fingers to the screen, as I had never seen happen before. All sentences were brief and rhymed effortlessly. Soon enough, I realized that what I was writing was a song.

Music was made as a pure act of catharsis, an exercise in telling things as they are in the most concise way. Y.A.A.M. is a testimony of living with passion and authenticity in a world that thrives on branding and transactional relationships. I found great pleasure in writing this track. Now that it’s time to share the work, I simply hope that it can inspire others to be who they are irreverently. Don’t mind the bad words, it comes straight from the heart. Love, Marie” - Marie Davidson