The Snuts - W.L. (LP)

W.L. lands like the kind of debut you hope a hometown hero will make. The Snuts, four friends from West Lothian, came out swinging in April 2021 with a record named after the place that shaped them. It went straight to No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, edging a high‑profile release from Demi Lovato that same week and making them the first Scottish band in 14 years to send a debut to the top spot. That headline says plenty, but the album itself tells the fuller story, track by track, with stubborn heart and a knack for hooks that feel built for night buses and festival afternoons alike.

You hear their roots immediately. The guitars snap clean, then get ragged when the choruses hit. Jack Cochrane’s vocal is roughened at the edges in the best way, emotive without slipping into melodrama. The sound nods to the British indie lineage they grew up on, but the writing is direct and modern, focused on big feelings and everyday details. The title W.L. feels like a promise to keep it local even as the rooms get bigger, and that promise comes through in how specific these songs can be about place, friendship, and escape.

“Glasgow” is the obvious centerpiece, and if you have even a passing interest in why this band won so many people over so quickly, start there. It’s the closer on the standard tracklist and it coils from tender to towering with a chorus that seems to carry the whole city on its back. Not many bands manage a tune that plays as a love letter and an anthem at once. This one does. It has become a fan favorite for a reason, turning crowds into choirs and leaving you with that afterglow you only get from a perfect set closer.

They don’t spend the whole record reaching for the rafters. “Top Deck” slows things down and sketches a small, lived‑in scene that does more for their myth than any big lyrical swing. It’s the soft underside of a band that can otherwise kick up dust. “Somebody Loves You,” released ahead of the album with a community‑minded campaign that directed attention and funds to the Scottish Refugee Council, carries warmth without sugarcoating. The sentiment feels earned, and the rhythm section gives it a pulse that works as well in a kitchen as it does on stage.

When they go loud, they go loud with purpose. “All Your Friends” snaps and snarls, drums tumbling under a melody that moves fast but stays sticky. “Elephants” is even more urgent, the kind of two‑and‑change heater that reminds you why guitar bands still matter. None of this is reinvention for reinvention’s sake. It’s craft, tightened on the road, sharpened in rehearsal rooms, then given just enough studio shine to jump out of the speakers without sanding off the grit.

Part of why W.L. sticks is sequencing. The Snuts pace the record like a night out, starting with swagger, giving you breath, then kicking again, until you’re left staring at the sky with “Glasgow.” You can hear why it connected beyond Scotland. The imagery is local, but the feelings are universal, which is the magic trick of any great debut. That No. 1 wasn’t a novelty, it was validation of a groundswell that had been obvious at gigs and on singles leading up to the release.

If you’re the kind of listener who still cares about the ritual, W.L. vinyl does these songs a good turn. The dynamics breathe, the choruses bloom, and you can ride the crescendos without the digital glare. It’s the version I reach for when I want to remember why I fell for this band. If you’re hunting for The Snuts vinyl or want to buy The Snuts records online, keep an eye out because The Snuts albums on vinyl tend to move quickly whenever a new pressing pops up. I’ve even seen copies get snapped up in a Melbourne record store the same afternoon they were shelved, which tells you how far the word has traveled. That’s good news if you run a shop that lives on vinyl records Australia wide, less good if you like to procrastinate.

Debuts are often judged on potential. W.L. works because it delivers in the present. You get the choruses, the sweat, the late‑night tenderness, and a clear sense of who these four are and where they’re from. It’s a snapshot of a band hitting the sweet spot between hunger and confidence, and it still plays like a win every time the needle drops.