The Pastels

A significant contributor to the rise of the UK’s Independent music scene in the 1980’s, The Pastels are known for their intriguing lyrics; low-fi bass, drums, and guitar; and, of course, their lethargically delivered and Scottish-accented vocals. Beginning with their little known but cult-favorite debut album, Up For a Bit with The Pastels, the band has received endless praise from a devoted circle of fans and the likes of The Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and more.

The Pastels' most recent album, Slow Summits came out in 2013, a full sixteen years after the release of their previous album, Illumination. Though somewhat frustrating to avid fans, their never-prolific, sluggish pace is not due to a lack of interest or bad priorities, but quite the opposite. Frontman Stephen McRobbie said in a 1991 interview:

We’re not purely a music group. …Aggis [is] an extremely talented illustrator, and I’m a librarian— Dave’s a ski instructor. We all have other things we can go and do, so we’re doing it because we love it, not because it’s a sort of career, or something. …We do it because we feel really passionately about the music."