Glasvegas

Based in Glasgow, Scotland, the indie rock quartet Glasvegas consists of cousins James Allan, who handles vocals and primary songwriting, along with Rab Allan on guitar, bassist Paul Donoghue, and drummer Jonna Löfgren. While the group skillfully blended an affinity for doo wop and classic pop productions by Spector together with influences from some of the more dynamic and creative guitar bands of the 1980s, James Allan's sincere approach to lyrics stood out as the element that most characterized their identity. A 2006 hometown show left such an impression on former Creation head Alan McGee and ex-Libertines guitarist Carl Barât that both figures took steps to help larger audiences experience the group's commanding stage presence. NME placed the band's third single, "Daddy's Gone," at number two among the best songs of 2007, which also sparked a connection between Glasvegas and Lisa Marie Presley once she encountered the track.

Their platinum-certified first album, Glasvegas, earned broad critical approval after Columbia issued it in September 2008 and later earned a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize in 2009. The Christmas-themed EP A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss), recorded in Transylvania, followed less than three months afterward and drew additional recognition. Glasvegas crafted their second album, Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\, by writing, demoing, and tracking material at a beach house in Santa Monica, California, throughout 2010, after which Flood oversaw final production in London. Original drummer Caroline McKay departed the lineup before recording began, and Swedish music student Jonna Löfgren stepped in as her successor once the album sessions had wrapped. Upon its April 2011 release, Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\ entered the U.K. album chart's Top Ten while reaching the summit in Sweden.

The band supported the record with a second world tour that featured their largest European headline shows up to that point plus fruitful visits to Australia and Japan. Glasvegas reemerged in late 2013 with the self-produced third studio album Later...When the TV Turns to Static, which BMG distributed. Additional concert dates across Europe and North America followed over the subsequent years, and the album received a summer 2014 release across Central and South America. The Secret Truth EP appeared to aid promotion in those regions, after which Allan moved to Stockholm to focus on fresh material. An extended hiatus ensued that culminated in Löfgren's departure, during which Allan mastered music production and engineering skills he later applied to the band's fourth studio album, 2021's Godspeed.