Scottish artist Withered Hand launches new single with video shot in Edinburgh

Waking Up is the new single from Scottish artist Withered Hand and has a video shot in Edinburgh.

The film shows a bike ride in a wintery east coast shore with only a crow for company. The song is uplifting though peppered with brass spikes and certainly one to hear again and again. Withered Hand is the stage name of Dan Willson originally from London.

Now based in Edinburgh he collaborated with Mark Freegard who has worked with New Model Army, Del Amitri and Pale Saints. Together they plan to release the album How To Love on Reveal Records at the end of April.

Produced, recorded and mixed in Glasgow at C.O.D. Studios by Tony Doogan as he brings his experience with Mogwai, David Byrne, Teenage Fanclub, The Twilight Sad and others to the table.

The album will feature Mercury-nominated songwriter Kathryn Williams and Fife’s own King Creosote and this follows the 2014 album New Gods which featured Belle & Sebastian, Frightened Rabbit and The Vaselines.

The new album though will have a three piece brass section, The WH Salvation Choir and The Pumpkinseeds string section arranged by Pete Harvey and featuring Seonaid Aitken from Glenrothes on violin. The nine-track album is available to pre-order as a digital download, CD or black vinyl LP bundle limited to 500.

For live appearances the only Scottish date announced so far is at Edinburgh Liquid Rooms for April 28 with special guests to tie in with the album launch.

As a preview he sold out London’s Lexington earlier this year and more shows are likely to be added soon. Withered Hand are certainly being noticed and have fans like Jarvis Cocker and Rolling Stone magazine in the US where he was named as Artist To Watch.

Dan only started writing songs in his thirties after the birth of his son and started performing with the Fence Collective based in the East Neuk and playing around Anstruther and St Andrews as well as the Edinburgh Fringe.

The first album was Good News in 2009 and this allowed shows in Europe and the USA and several EP releases followed. The new record though is the first in nine years.