Belle and Sebastian have released ‘What Happened To You, Son?’, ahead of the band’s North American and European tour.
The track, which was dropped from their last album Late Developers, is a continuation of the group’s recent sound. Their usual charming style of indie pop is present throughout, with the catchy melodies and self-reflective lyrics so familiar to Belle and Sebastian fans. Funky bass and trumpet sections help elevate the track, giving a high level of production.
The track was inspired by lead singer Stuart Murdoch’s life in his late teens and the idea of failing.
Murdoch said: “The song is about my youth, and the funny hole I fell into in my late teens. I was failing at my university course, failing in almost everything I tried around then. I was obsessed with the music of the time, I used to hang so much on the lyrics and message and feeling of certain bands of the 80s era – it probably wasn’t healthy.
The song tries to address what happens when the pop stars grow up, and change, and go a different way, and seem to betray the stance they held when you loved them the most.
The song finishes hopefully, however. There’s always a way forward, always a light to guide you if you look closely, if you give up part of yourself, if you let yourself flow and change.”
The band’s US tour is their first visit state-side in nearly two years. The coast-to-coast tour includes stops in New York, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles plus many more before seeing the band play shows in mainland Europe.
The tour’s conclusion will see the band return to the UK to host and headline The Glasgow Weekender. The two-day event held in Glasgow, will feature two headline sets from Belle and Sebastian, as well as performances from Camera Obscura, CMAT and The Vaselines.
Full tour dates and tickets can be found here.
