Kevin Buckle: '˜Inspiring' songs of Easterhouse

The much anticipated Out Lines album Conflats is released this week. A collaborative project between Kathryn Joseph, who won the 2015 SAY Award with her album, Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I've Spilled, James Graham, frontman for The Twilight Sad and not long back from a world tour with The Cure, and Marcus Mackay, the producer, songwriter and percussionist.

Out Lines, featuring Kathryn Joseph, James Graham and Marcus Mackay

The album was inspired by conversations Kathryn and James had with people who use Platform, the multi-arts and community space in Easterhouse, Glasgow. Centred around the stories heard through their conversations with the locals, an inspiring collection of songs were written for a one-off headline performance as part of Outskirts Festival at Platform in April 2016.

With James and Kathryn taking turns on vocals, the album was recorded at Marcus’ recording studio the Diving Bell Lounge and artwork was provided by Scott Hutchison, of Frightened Rabbit, as if anybody needed any more reason to buy it.

Often these collaborations look great on paper but somehow don’t work, but Conflats is an album that is everything people familiar with other work by the band members will be hoping for.