Scottish alt-rock mainstays The XCERTS are back. Today sees the Aberdeen-formed, Brighton-based trio unveil Do It To Myself, their first original material since 2023 and their debut release on new label FLG Records.
The XCERTS
A snarling, grunge-flecked rush of urgency and melody, Do It To Myself finds The XCERTS reconnecting with the raw intensity that first put them on the map, while retaining the emotional weight and songwriting confidence built across more than two decades together. It’s a bold reintroduction that places honesty, tension and catharsis front and centre.
Formed in 2001, vocalist and guitarist Murray Macleod, bassist Jordan Smith and drummer Tom Heron remain a rare constant in alternative music: an unbroken line-up fuelled by trust, friendship and a shared creative instinct. That bond pulses through Do It To Myself, a track that thrives on immediacy and shared momentum.
After exploring more polished, pop-leaning textures on recent releases, the new single marks a decisive shift back towards grit and emotional abrasion. Bright, urgent guitars nod to the spirit of There Is Only You, while Macleod’s vocal performance is exposed and confrontational, capturing the push-and-pull of self-doubt and self-destruction.
“There’s a desperate urgency about this song,” Macleod explains. “It’s an admission of my fragility and tendency to self-sabotage when things aren’t good as they are. It’s a hard indie rock song, but the lyrics and vocal delivery are really vulnerable. That conflicting feeling was intentional – we wanted it to feel uncomfortable, honest, and human.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEXF_0xlK9o
Crucially, Do It To Myself was written collaboratively in the same room – a return to a process the band stepped away from on 2023’s Learning How To Live And Let Go. That hands-on approach crackles through the track, capturing three musicians fully locked in after navigating both personal and collective turbulence.
The release also arrives during a busy period for Macleod, who has recently appeared as a guest vocalist on As It Is single Ruin My Life and taken on duties as live guitarist for Idlewild, underlining The XCERTS’ enduring presence within the UK alternative scene.
Raw, reflective and resolutely forward-looking, Do It To Myself is a powerful opening statement from a band whose connection has only strengthened with time – and a clear signal that there’s plenty more to come. Further new music from The XCERTS is expected in 2026.
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