In Conversation: The Snuts

A lot has come the way of Scottish indie band The Snuts over the last decade — from initially making a name for themselves through their early EP’s, to major-label success with Parlophone Records, to plying their trade as an independent band — and the journey has been far from easy. However, when we spoke to the band’s bass player, Callum ‘29’ Wilson, he reflected on the journey to this moment as the band celebrated the release of their fourth studio album, Joy In Short Moments.

When we caught Callum in the midst of the band’s hectic release week — which included album signings, a performance at Murrayfield Stadium and a chart battle with Olivia Rodrigo and Queens of the Stone Age — there was a proud sense of optimism and positivity amongst it all. “We’re always more comfortable being the underdogs and proving people wrong”, Callum tells Festivals & Gigs. “It’s the best thing that could have happened for our fans — they’re rallying behind us, which is fucking amazing, obviously.”

That positivity extends to the minimalist album cover: a bright yellow sunflower set against a blue sky. For Callum, the sunflower took shape as a symbol for the record early on. “I was walking my baby and my dog by the community garden, and there was just a big mural done with sunflowers right off the side of it. And it was just things like that; it just started circling us everywhere we were, that image of the sunflower”. Callum mentions a poetic metaphor he learned called The Sunflower Theory: that sunflowers grown in pairs, rather than on their own, give each other light on a dark day. “We’d been maybe in a bit of a dark spot ourselves, and then when we were back together making music again, we were sharing each other’s light, and this amazing record was born from that”.

Part of what helped make this album so free and joyous for the group was the unconventional recording process. Having started out in a major studio in the early stages of Joy In Short Moments, they chose instead to rent an Airbnb in the Scottish countryside to work on the album as friends more than anything else. “We’re quite DIY as well. When we started this band, we had a storage room in Glasgow we’d turned into a studio, bit by bit. And so, especially that first record was just with the demos, and was finding, you know, plugging things in the wrong place, playing things through a shit amp through a speaker, blasting a PA out into a mic for a vocal. And I think some of the most interesting tracks on that first record were born from that process. So we thought, why do we not do that again? Let’s strip it back. Let’s surround ourselves in things we love, like nature and almost isolation. And then we’ll build a studio.” As it was a rental property, they were initially worried about being stopped or walked in on by neighbours. “You know, when you’re playing the drums you’re a bit like, “Right, is somebody going to come?” And then three days in, we were really smashing the drum kit, and we’re like, ‘Shit, nobody’s come. Let’s just see how far we can take this.’ And then it just got louder and louder until the walls were shaking, the mattresses were falling down, and we were just fucking hitting it, man. And I think something about that lack of equipment just made us be more creative.”

Asked which song brought him the most joy, Callum singles out ‘PTS’, an anthemic track made immediately after Scotland’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. “It’s just us really wearing our influences on our sleeve and just really tapping into that nostalgic feeling we had when we were first playing music together, and I think it captures that perfectly.” Callum reflects on how enjoyable the process of creating this fourth album was, especially compared with their 2024 record Millennials — the first album they released as an independent band. “We were touring, and we were gigging, and we were recording on the road on that third record. So this one, we made a very conscious decision that we need a break from touring.” Callum felt that the 18-24-month cycle of making and touring albums was neither healthy nor sustainable for the long-term future of the band, hence the desire to go back to basics for Joy In Short Moments. “Once we had that conversation with each other, then realised that we did want longevity in this game and we ultimately wanted to create something that lasts for 10, 20 years, you know? And I think that would be the biggest learning curve for us and the biggest change from the first three records.”

Further reflecting on that desire for longevity, Callum addresses how the band have had to change their approach to touring from five or ten years ago. With the band members all starting families since Millennials (Callum has a daughter of his own) and a tour kicking off shortly, it’s about striking a balance. “I think this time it’s much more considered, and it’s routine, and we’re just trying to make as big an impact as we can in as healthy an amount of time as we can.” Looking further ahead, Callum is excited about the band’s newly announced headline show at Glasgow’s 8,000-capacity SEC Centre next July. Two years on from conquering the Hydro, a return to Glasgow was always on the cards: “Glasgow’s a super industrial place, but the contrast to that industrial aesthetic mixed with the vibrancy of the people, culture and kindness you feel in the city, it is unparalleled.” The Glasgow announcement, which came a few months after their initial tour dates, was also a relief for the band. “You know, when you announce a tour, and you don’t have Glasgow there, and you have in the back of your head: it’s coming, it’s coming, just everybody calm down, it’s coming. And so, to be able to announce that, the fanfare around it has been incredible.” And as for the rest of their summer plans? “Nothing is over the line yet, but it’s going to be an exciting summer for fans of the Snuts”, Callum tells us.

Taking one last moment to reflect on the band’s journey to this point, Callum wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. “I think it’s hard to give yourself advice because every decision you made leads to this point now. If we didn’t have that wealth of experience and we didn’t have the highs and lows, it would be hard to be in this position that we’re in right now, where we are completely content, and we know who we are”. If he were to give his past self some advice, though? “Spend more money on instruments now, because once you have a child, you will have no money to spend on anything other than the child!”