Last month, Scottish rock trio The Xcerts returned with a lovely upbeat song called “do it to myself“. It was a proper return to form after some experimenting with shorter songs and different styles, something every band who has been together as long as they have is going to do at least once in their career.
That return to form has been stunning cemented with the follow up track, “in your eyes“. Undoubtedly the most personal song the band have ever released, in your eyes is a tribute to bassist Jordan Smith’s Mum. We’ll hand over to Xcerts frontman Murray MacLeod to tell the full story:
“in your eyes” is without question the most raw and personal song we’ve ever written. Fundamentally, it’s about loss. The loss of what I deemed to be forever love and the cruelty of cancer. The closing lines of the song are ‘this isn’t goodbye, this is I’ll love you forever’ which serves as a full stop but also has an open-ended feel to it. It’s a desperate grieving cry, but while writing the words, I also thought, well, if this is the last thing we ever create then that’s the message I want to ring out in Jordan, Tom and our fan base’ ears. I’m aware it’s overly sincere, but it’s true, and the truth is all we wanted to convey. The song finishes with Jordan’s mum blowing a kiss and saying “I love you” which is extremely emotional, but it was important for her to close out this song as it belongs to her.
Slow burning, building to an almighty last quarter or so, this is up there with the best material The Xcerts have ever produced.
Watch the emotional video for “in your eyes” below:
You can also stream or download the track on your platform of choice here.
Having returned to the live stage recently in London as part of the launch of the latest issue of DIY Magazine, we hope more shows from The Xcerts aren’t too far off! If you would like a reminder of just how good they are live, check out this review of The Xcerts from Cambridge from a few years ago. Stay tuned for further updates and more news of any new music as soon as we have it.
