Heavy Weather: And Now the Weather

Lola Lea

Credit: Holly Thallon @hollythallonphoto

Heavy Weather broke into the scene back in 2023. Since then, they’ve gone from strength to strength, playing in venues across Glasgow and Edinburgh and releasing several singles, including The Sweetness of Doing Nothing and Irish Goodbye. Now, with their debut EP And Now the Weather, they show us what they’re really made of.

At first glance, Heavy Weather are leaning into every possible gag they can make about weathermen on social media. Their commitment to the bit is commendable; flying umbrellas, hairdryer gales, and brown patterned ties, they’ve got it all. Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll find that while these guys may not take themselves too seriously, the music is not to be messed with.

The EP opens with a classic “and now the weather” TV intro-style track. There’s a buzz of mixed audio clips, which could easily fool you into thinking the following songs would consist of various “It’s raining men! Heavy Weather!” type gags. Instead, LFC (Love Fear Confusion) begins.

For those who have followed the band for a while or attended any of their gigs, the release of LFC as a single back in December of last year was highly anticipated. Declan Fisher’s bass line carries the tune, a funky, swaggering melody that serves as the perfect opener to draw you into the EP. LFC smashes the doors to this EP wide open.

Next up, Rain, where drummer Grant Herpich shines. He provides the constant racing pulse of the song, perfectly complementing Lewis’s vocals, nimbly skipping over the track and echoing the repetition in the lyrics. The songs’ thunderous drive encapsulates the elemental-themed power behind the EP, further committing to the Heavy Weather concept.

Grave, released as a single at the end of March this year, is a gloomier track than its predecessor, forecasting what’s to come. Jack McFaul’s sliding, cascading melodies on lead guitar are a common thread woven through the EP, reminiscent of Jeff Buckley’s Grace; they gradually build layer on layer, before the song explodes into full-blown angst in the chorus.

The rhythm section of this band doesn’t just elevate their sound. They make it. Drummer Grant and bassist Declan highlight this on the third track of the EP, Scar. There’s a certain quality throughout And Now the Weather that feels as though the band has taken you by the hand and dragged you, rhythmically running and falling as you race through each song. On Scar, lead singer Lewis takes the fall with you, singing “maybe I, maybe I, should have done better.”

Lucky Star is the final song on the EP; here, guitarist Nathan Sinclair’s signature electrified timbre shines through. He has played a constant, defining role in each track, reverberating throughout the EP, and brings everything together with his distorted tremolo for Heavy Weather’s final bow. The perfect conclusion to the previous four songs, Lucky Star puts the spotlight on the sound that Heavy Weather have forged for themselves.

Finally, the EP wouldn’t be complete without the transmission outro. The muzak-style rendition of Lucky Star solidifies the classic broadcast transmission bit as the band’s concept. The track wraps And Now the Weather into a perfectly parcelled culmination of everything that the band has worked hard for over the past years.

You can catch Heavy Weather performing their EP this Friday, May 2nd at the Mash House, Edinburgh. Their EP is currently available on streaming.