Scottish Artists To Watch In 2025

New year, new bands, new obsessions. Scotland’s music scene is a constantly morphing beast, spitting out fresh talent, combing boundary-defying genres, with the raw energy that keeps the Scottish music scene constantly evolving. Whether you’re into massive indie anthems, left-field electronic experiments, or something that defies categorisation entirely, 2025 is shaping up to be another huge year for grassroots Scottish Music.

So, dive into our list of Scottish Acts To Watch in 2025… before everyone else catches on.

With a punchy, early 2000’s coming-of-age guitar sound paired with relatable Gen Z lyrics, SISTER MADDS took 2024 in their stride. They wrapped up a “teeny tiny” Scottish tour, a Walt Disco support slot at SWG3, and a headline slot at King Tut’s Summer Nights. This February, they are playing a cheeky, post-valentine headline slot appropriately called “A One Night Stand with SISTER MADDS.” 2025 looks set to be a huge year for SISTER MADDS.

Dundee’s Katie Nicoll is riding a wave of momentum into 2025, kicking off the year with BBC Introducing love for her new track With You (Na Na Na). Last year saw her charm audiences at Resonate 2024, Manchester’s Northenden Fringe to BBC Scotland’s Track of the Week with Jodie Said. Katie Nicoll is a radiant force of indie-pop brilliance, emerging as a new shining star of Scotland’s indie-pop scene.

Crawford Mack creates introspective music, intertwining strands of Jazz, alternative folk and rock. He kicked off 2025 with a sold-out gig in Glasgow’s Glad Cafe. In 2024 he played a BBC Radio London live session, played an acoustic set at Resonate and supported songwriter and vocalist Naomi Banks in London. Crawford Mack just sold out the Glad Cafe and is set to continue packing out venues throughout 2025.

Aberdeen’s Ay Bangz is crafting a new wave of ambient RnB, dripping in late-night nostalgia and city-lit melancholy. After turning heads with his 2024 single About You and a strong showing at Resonate 2024, he’s kicking off 2025 with Bon Accord Baby, a love letter to his hometown. His ability to fuse hazy production with slick, emotive vocals sets him apart in Scotland’s growing alt-RnB scene. Expect his name—and his sound—to spread far beyond the Granite City this year.

Lacuna's sound feels like a chilly, early morning, warmed by pouring scoops of coffee into your favourite mug. They left 2024 with a SAMA nomination, live EP “Greenhouse Baby” overflowing with alt-folk fuzziness, a support slot with US folk group Infinity Song and plenty of love from BBC Introducing Scotland. Going into 2025, the 6-piece stands out as one of the most exciting alternative bands in the scene. 

Thurso’s indie rock torchbearers Forgetting the Future stormed through 2024 with a Belladrum slot, three Irish dates, and a mainstage moment at Heartlands. They also made waves at Resonate 2024, proving their anthemic, high-energy sound is built for big stages. With a headline UK tour kicking off in March, 2025 is set to be a career-defining year. Expect soaring choruses, raw emotion, and a band ready to cement their place in Scotland’s indie elite.

Glaswegian quartet Vanderlye only formed in August 2023 but has since released a handful of engaging alternative indie singles. Kicking off 2025, Vanderlye released their latest single "Romantic Anarchy” which offers warm, dreamy harmonies infused with their gentle guitar sound and has already racked up support from tastemaker Jim Gellatly. They had another strong start to the year, as they took to King Tut’s stage as part of the venue's New Year’s Revolution.

Glasgow’s M4CHA is taking house music back to its sweaty, euphoric roots—then flipping it on its head. Drawing inspiration from ‘90s club culture but injecting it with a future-facing edge. With a string of singles already under their belt and a relentless hunger to push their sound further, 2025 is theirs for the taking. If you’re not already moving to M4CHA, you’re dancing to the wrong beat.

Glasgow-based producer Mokulsa blends spectral folk with weightless dream-pop, crafting a sound that feels like stepping into another world. She closed out 2024 with a BBC Radio 6 Mixtape feature and a hauntingly beautiful set at Resonate, cementing her as one of Scotland’s most intriguing new artists. 2025 began with a debut slot at Celtic Connections, proving her music belongs in both intimate venues and grand stages alike. Expect Mokulsa to move further into the spotlight this year, weaving her spell one track at a time.

Falkirk’s Danko are gearing up for a massive 2025, launching into the year with a five-date UK tour and a hotly anticipated EP, Take Your Time. Their no-frills, full-throttle rock sound turned heads and is setting them apart in Scotland’s thriving alt scene. A recent Clash review called them “ones to watch,” and with their gritty, stadium-ready energy, that feels like an understatement. Get on board now before these lads explode in 2025.

With a name like Roller Disco Death Party, you’d expect chaos, and that’s exactly what this Glasgow outfit delivers—in the best way possible. After storming Resonate 2024, SWG3’s Houses and Tenement Trail, they wrapped up 2024 with their track Day By Day becoming the theme tune for Late Night at the Euros with Compston and Smart. They’re barely a year in and already carving out a reputation as one of Scotland’s most exhilarating live bands. Keep an eye on them in 2025, because this party is only getting started.

Led by Emma Murdoch, Grayling’s Americana-infused sound took flight in 2024, earning her a SAMA nomination for Best Acoustic and a standout showcase artist at Resonate 2024. Her debut EP Cardinal Fire burns with raw, heartfelt songwriting, capturing a mix of tenderness and grit. With a New Year’s Day slot at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and upcoming performances at King Tut’s and The AMA UK in London, 2025 is already shaping up to be a defining year. Murdoch’s voice is one that lingers—fragile yet fierce, and impossible to ignore.

Tina Sandwich (name taken from lead singer Tilly O’Connor’s hyper-fixation with tuna sandwiches) offers grungy alt-indie pop infused with hearty lyrics, covering everything from dark winters to a cartoon frog called Felipe. Having begun 2024 with the stand-out single “Joni”, this was followed up with the August EP, “For the World” and a BBC Radio Scotland live session. That Autumn, they went on tour with London group LEAP. After a whirlwind of European venues and countryside Airbnb's on the road, Tina Sandwich is ready to take on 2025.

Fresh off LA writing sessions and racking up over a million Spotify listeners, Archie is the kind of artist who bridges the gap between viral success and genuine artistry. His single Colourblind showcased his knack for raw, melodic storytelling, earning him a headline slot at The Hug and Pint and a key performance at Resonate 2024. With a growing social media following and a deeply personal songwriting style, 2025 looks like the year he steps into the spotlight properly. Expect big things, because Archie isn’t just making music—he’s making moments.

Glasgow DJ and producer Dan South spent 2024 cementing his name in Scotland’s club scene, tearing up festival slots at SWG3’s Houses and Tenement Trail. With a support run that saw him open for The Snuts and Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback gig, he’s proven he can hold his own alongside the big names. With 2025 shaping up to be even bigger, Dan South is primed for dancefloor domination.

Q&A: Pedalo

In this weeks Artist of the Week Q&A, pedalo dive into the inspirations and emotions behind their EP Migration, exploring themes of transition, vulnerability, and self-discovery. From the shoegaze-infused "Mystery" to the raw honesty of "Lighter," they share how personal experiences and bold experimentation shaped their sound. Plus, the band reflects on their live performances, unexpected influences, and what's next on their creative journey.

Check out our Q&A below:

1. The title Migration feels so vivid and layered—was it chosen to reflect a specific point in your lives, or does it speak to a bigger, ongoing story for the band?

Steel: After finishing the writing for the EP, we were kind of reflecting on the themes we had explored in search of a title that summed up the ideas we had written about. We found that most of the songs on Migration were concerned with common issues arising from the transition into adulthood that comes from leaving home and deciding what sort of person you want to be. So the title is kind of reflecting the idea of a major life change, whilst also tying into our recurring symbol of the swan.

2. Mystery was the first track you shared from Migration. Looking back, why did you feel it was the right introduction to the EP? Did it shape how you approached the rest of the project?

Geddes: We feel like 'Mystery' marked a new direction for us in terms of genre and process for writing our songs, which is fitting, as the song's lyrics outline a growing realisation that situations constantly change from what they used to be. This was us dipping our toes into our love for shoegaze and atmospheric music, and the results gave us reassurance that this was where we wanted to take the EP. From there, we wanted to use elements we loved from Mystery and drop them in throughout Migration, like the arpeggiated synthesizer, warm layering of vocal harmonies and overlapping of different intricate rhythmic parts in the guitars and drums.

3. Lighter is such a vulnerable track, touching on body image and perfectionism. Was it cathartic to write, or did confronting something so personal in your music feel more challenging than freeing?

Charlotte: A bit of both really! I never really know what I’m going to write about before I start putting words on a page, so once the first draft of lyrics were down, the emotions became very real and I was like “oh yeah, this is what i’ve been feeling”. I was hyper aware that this was going to be a song that literally anyone can hear, forever, which was honestly a bit scary when it’s such a personal topic. But then the reaction to it has been really touching - I’ve had a fair few people say to me how much they relate to Lighter. Now I’d say it’s the song that I’m the most proud of.

4. Interlude takes a bold turn with its art rock sound and classical influences. Did exploring this direction change how you see yourselves as a band, or was it just a natural part of your evolution?

Beth: Surprisingly, the creation of Interlude felt very natural and cathartic, re-connecting us with our earlier influences and individual backgrounds. It was exciting allowing ourselves to be more eccentric and explore extended instrumentation. It felt like a natural stepping stone within our recent writings, deserving its place within the EP. 

5. When you stepped onto the stage at Stereo to play these tracks live, did it change the way you connected with the songs—or how you think about Migration as a whole?

Steel: With the Stereo show, we decided to end the gig by performing the EP tracks in order and without any breaks to kind of give the audience the full EP experience in a live setting. We had performed all of the songs live before, but most of them had undergone quite a bit of development since their last live outing, so it was cool to see how our crowd reacted to the new arrangements!

6. Your sound has drawn comparisons to Beach House and Slowdive, but influences often come from unexpected places. Is there an artist or band that’s shaped your music in a way fans might not expect?

Nick: We actually all have very different influences and musical backgrounds! This means it took a while for us to find a common ground and really figure out what we wanted pedalo to sound like. Charlotte comes from a classical vocal background, Geddes has produced a hyperpop EP, Beth specialises in world percussion, Steel tries his hardest to be jazz guitarist and I like far too much punk for the type of band we are! This means that we often have differing reference points, especially as writing is such a collaborative process for us.

7. With Migration now out in the world and the Stereo show behind you, how are you feeling? Is this a moment to pause and take it all in, or are you already thinking about what’s next?

Steel: We think it’s been a mix of both! There’s definitely a strong sense of accomplishment with having released our first larger body of work, and it’s been nice to reflect on the year up to this point and appreciate how far we’ve come. At the same time however, the incredible response that the EP has had has definitely served as a strong source of motivation to keep up the momentum going into 2025. We’ve already got a couple of super exciting gigs on the cards, as well as some big plans for recording and releasing more music, so watch this space!

pedalo.’s next gig will be supporting Waverley at Sneaky Pete’s, in collaboration with BBC Introducing on the 4th of February.