Artist: Adam Ross (featuring C Duncan)
Title: Drink The First Light
Format: digital
Cat#: Fika115
Release date: 30th October 2025
Bandcamp | Spotify
Released as a standalone single, the song represents some of the poppiest and slickest music of Adam's career thus far.
"It started out as an experimental home recording" says Adam. "As it developed, I felt it had the potential to be a fun, catchy pop single. It's a bit of a departure for me, as I usually tend to write quite narrative-led, wordy songs whereas this one is more lyrically abstract and driven by the melody and the production."
C Duncan (Mercury-nominated artist and a friend of Adam's) was brought in at the mixing stage. "Chris is an extraordinarily talented musician and composer. His grasp of musical theory is crazy and it's what makes him such an original and inspiring songwriter. But he's also underrated from a technical perspective. He records and produces most of his own records so I initially approached him to help me as a mixing engineer on this song. He polished it up beautifully and, as an extra bonus, added some gorgeous instrumentation and vocal harmonies."
Lyrically, the song offers up imagery inspired by seasonal changes. "As we slide into darker and colder autumnal days, I'm increasingly aware of how important sunshine is to me. The song is sort of written from the perspective of an inverse-vampire: someone with an insatiable craving for sunlight. The wider theme is one of optimism and seizing the day."
The single is Adam's first release since his critically-acclaimed 2024 album 'Littoral Zone'. 'Drink The First Light' is a palette-cleanser to fill the interim before he begins work on his next full album and it represents a new-found joy for collaboration:
"One of the great things about being a solo act is that you can work with different people on every project. I've been in the band Randolph's Leap for 15 years and we've established a really good and effective understanding of how to work with each other. But it's also nice to bring in new people and learn new methods. I've definitely learned a lot over the last few years by working with people like C Duncan, Andrew Wasylk, Gillian Fleetwood and Jenny Sturgeon. I'm having a lot of fun too."
Adam Ross is a songwriter based in north-east Scotland. He has led the cult indie band Randolph's Leap for over a decade, releasing music with legendary Fife label Fence Records and Lost Map as well as Olive Grove Records and Fika Recordings. He released a debut solo folk album 'Staring At Mountains' in 2022 and 2024 saw the release of a brand-new solo album, ‘Littoral Zone’ produced by multiple Scottish Album Of The Year Award nominated composer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Wasylyk.
Adam has a track record of playing at festivals and venues across the country including Green Man, Celtic Connections, Belladrum and the Edinburgh Fringe. His reputation as an engaging, witty, storytelling performer was further cemented by his role in ‘The Isle of Love’, a country-wide touring theatre show inspired by his songs.
His music has received regular airplay on BBC Radio Scotland and BBC 6 Music including various singles and albums of the week. He has also received excellent press in newspapers such as The Herald and The Scotsman.