Q&A: racecar
This week on our Artist of the Week Q&A, we caught up with Izzy from Scottish alt-pop band racecar to talk about their latest album, Pink Car—a bold fusion of nostalgia, coming-of-age themes, and genre-blurring sounds. With festival-ready anthems like Zephyr and Fall Leave, the album expands on their signature style with a fresh, dynamic energy. As they gear up for a packed live schedule and an album launch show, racecar is set to make 2025 their biggest year yet.
Check out our Q&A below:
1. Congrats on Pink Car! With 13 tracks, what inspired the longer tracklist? Was it tough pulling so many songs together?
Thanks very much! What a time to be alive! We initially sketched out 11 tracks but, as they were taking shape, we realised that we only had two or three ‘single-y’ tracks that followed a more traditional song structure and that this was not ideal for our pop album. We very collaboratively wrote Got You Into It and Fall/Leave and that gave us spooky 13, after which we steeled our nerves and went into the studio, ready to drop maybe Nightshow or Inevitable to leave us with a less terrifying number of tracks but in the end we loved everything so 13 it was. Pink Car spits in the face of the Devil.
2. Pink Car blends alt-pop with nostalgia and coming-of-age themes. Who influenced the album, and how does it differ from your previous release Orange Car.
We all grew up together and, reflecting our own ‘coming of age’, used a lot of sounds that sandwiched the millennium and would inspire nostalgia for us. There are elements of dance music, pop punk, indie pop and even a light spicing of nu-metal. We all have a pretty wide-ranging taste in music but love artists like Sylvan Esso, Talking Heads, ABBA, Lyrics Born and Carly Rae Jepsen, to name a random assortment.
The two albums were written very differently. Robin brought most of the tracks on Orange Car to us in a half-formed state and we hammered them out over a very intensive fortnight whereas Pink Car was a far slower and more collaborative experience. The result of this is, we think, more considered and diverse songwriting but with more coherent musical/narrative concepts and threads tying the album together as we were often pushed to discuss and consider what we were actually writing. We had a lot of fun and hope that the listening experience reflects that.
3. Zephyr captures the magic of possibility and that electric walk home after a life-changing night. How did you channel that feeling into the song’s sonic choices?
Zephyr was one of the first songs that we floated for this album. Mason had an old chorus from years ago that didn’t have a home but felt like a bit of a mantra about change and future possibilities. Building off that idea, we used big rolling drums/bass and trad instrumentation to, ideally, bring out a fundamental feeling of awakening. The chorus/verse structure then gives way to this enormous, building crescendo with strings lifting everything up (but in a kind of spooky way) and the vocals split into this almost chanting incantation… This euphoric energy drives the song to its climax and, to us, the musical choices make it feel like a spell has been cast and things will never be the same again!
4. With contributions from Graham Coe, Lissa Robertson, and the Lethams, Pink Car feels both expansive and intimate. How did these collaborations shape the album’s maximalist sound?
By the time we came to write and record Pink Car, we were very fortunate to have raised enough money through a successful Crowdfunder campaign (thanks everyone!) to make some of the musical dreams we had for our songs come true. Graham, Lissa, Claire and Kenny (not to mention Aaron Morrison/ Catriona Price/ Gracie Brill!) are all fantastic musicians. It is always a joy to collaborate, most of all when people’s blend of skill and creativity means both realising an original vision and new, exciting elements appearing during sessions.
racecar usually chases a big sound and having the opportunity to throw real strings and brass at these tracks enhanced them so much. This applies to all of our studio time spent with Jamie Martin and, in this time where the cost of studio time competes with earnings as independent musicians and access to home-recording equipment, the opportunity to spend an extended period in the studio felt incredibly special.
5. You’ve described the album as a “kaleidoscope pop odyssey” — which track best captures that energy? Any standouts that bring the album to life?
This description and descriptions like it have kind of haunted us since people began writing about our music. I forget who first described us as kaleidoscopic but we just roll with it (like a car) at this point.
I feel that part of this ‘magical mystery tour of genres’ label comes from the fact that we are presented as a band and bands are maybe more expected to have a uniform sound, whereas for solo artists it is more understood that their sound can change throughout an album (think of the mix of sounds and influences on an album like Lemonade by Beyoncé). On Pink Car, we were just writing songs under the umbrella of pop, which is itself such a broad term that it can mean anything really. That said, we do want our albums to feel like coherent bodies of work so hopefully Pink Car feels a bit more like an album experience!
Remains is a good one-track example of how the album as a whole flows through moods and energies, but standout tracks in that context are probably Fall Leave and the way the opening four tracks run together, particularly The Big One into Zephyr
6. You’ve got a busy summer with Knockengorroch and Kelburn Garden Party! Which Pink Car songs are you most excited to play live? Any fan favorites making the setlist?
Zephyr has always been a festival-shaped tune for us so it will be exciting to see whether that lands. Inevitable has been an amazing track to play with our extremely talented live band (shoutouts to them) so that will be pretty huge. Otherwise, Got You Into It and Fall Leave were written to be ‘live’ tracks so they ought to bang. Fan favourites would have to be SALT (it’s a really incredible feeling hearing people singing along to every word!) and Better Than You Know from Orange Car. We also have a very heavily tweaked cover of The Way You Make Me Feel that’s a bit of a peak.
7. At these festivals, are there any artists you’re keen to catch?
Scanning the posters, some highlights ought to be- Mandidextrous, Vandal,General Levy, Dub Pistols, TAAHLIAH, Dolphin Boy. Plus our pals Yoko Pwno, Nem And Lewis, Accident Machine, Man Of Moon, Mickey 9s, Puppy Teeth, The Micro Band, Nipples Of Venus and anyone else we’ve forgotten!
8. Edinburgh’s music scene is buzzing right now. Any local artists you'd recommend or Scottish acts that inspire you?
Here are our favs- Dr Salad, Yoko Pwno, Scarred Lip, Nama Kuma, aww, Crush Mouse, Sean Choon & The Prawn Monsoon, Black Talon, Bütter, Dani Sonder, BARON, Mistral, Raeburn Brothers, rEDOLENT and Zoe Graham. Listen to them all and expand ya mind.
Plus SHEARS will be playing the support slot at our launch on May 23rd at Stramash so check her out!
9. Since forming in 2021, what have been the band’s biggest highlights so far?
Releasing both albums; playing with truly incredible musicians/people; bringing our drummer back from England; dressing up as Giant RACECAR for our Halloween gig; going to the Wing Sing Inn in Edinburgh for the best chinese food in town; recording and releasing our Christmas Special this year (available on YT); all getting girlfriends and some of the amazingly positive responses that putting our music out there has inspired!
Highlights to watch out for include his year’s mainstage Kelburn slot so see you there!
10. With Pink Car kicking off 2025, what’s next for racecar?
We are starting 2025 united with the best musicians (and pals) we could ask for, two albums’ worth of bangers in the back pocket, and four actual (reasonably fast) cars between nine band members. The road is smooth, the tank is full, and the only way is up!
Catch racecar at their upcoming album launch at Stramash on Friday 23rd May - grab tickets here.