Fatherson

Ross Leighton, who handled vocals and guitar, teamed up with drummer Greg Walkinshaw during a school physics lesson in Kilmarnock, Scotland, to launch the project first known as Energy! Bassist Marc Strain later joined the lineup, prompting the switch to Fatherson. Their opening release, the 2010 EP Where the Water Meets the Land, helped cultivate an audience through live performances, which led Idlewild to select them as support on the anniversary tour for 100 Broken Windows. After the 2010 name change, a self-titled EP arrived in 2011, followed by opening slots for Panic! At the Disco, Frightened Rabbit, and Admiral Fallow. The 2012 single “First Born” preceded “Mine for Me” in 2013. That same year the band entered the studio to track their first album while expanding the group with guitarist Chris Beltran. Early 2014 brought the release of I Am an Island, shaped by Scotland’s alternative-music legacy. Buoyed by the debut’s reception, the members returned to the studio in 2015 and unveiled Open Book the next year, displaying a more mature sound that supported sell-out shows at London’s Scala and Glasgow’s Barrowlands. Claudius Mittendorfer, known for work with Weezer and Johnny Marr, produced their third album, Sum of All Your Parts, which surfaced in 2018 and reached number three on the Scottish album charts before touring resumed. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 suspended all live dates, shifting attention to songwriting and recording; an acoustic EP that reinterpreted earlier material in stripped-down form appeared that year. The first tracks from the new sessions surfaced in 2021, reflecting fresh sonic ground through the addition of synths and electronics to the guitar-based approach. Singles “End of the World” and “Normal People” previewed this broader palette, paving the way for the 2022 album Normal Fears.