Artist: Adam Ross
Title: Bring On The Apathy
Format: digital
Cat#: Fika117SG3
Release date: 5th May 2026
Bandcamp
Fika Recordings are pleased to present Bring On The Apathy, the eponymous third single from the third album by Scottish songwriter Adam Ross, out 15th May.
The title, ‘Bring On The Apathy’, shares its name with the album and sums up the mood surrounding the creation of the album. “I couldn’t get away from the sense that people are feeling quite jaded right now. I think it’s a natural response to the way the world is at the moment. There’s obviously a much wider, societal aspect to that idea, but it also relates directly to the way I feel about releasing music nowadays. There are lots of highs and many beautiful, rewarding moments that come from it but the act of promoting and marketing an album can really feel like an uphill struggle at times. As an independent musician, you get used to a certain level of apathy! And I think apathy is a big reason people decide to stop making art. So the title is meant to be empowering. It’s about recognising the abundance of apathy in the world and trying to inure myself to it, embrace it and get some kind of control and power over it.”
The album was recorded onto tape, using traditional analogue techniques at Glasgow’s Green Door Studio with Samuel J. Smith. It showcases some of the most emotionally open, lyrically deft and characterful songwriting so far from one of Scotland’s most accomplished writers. The vintage recording approach brings a warmth and intimacy to a record which is in equal parts raw and organic while also beautifully arranged and performed as Adam is joined by a raft of excellent collaborators.
The core band consisted of Owen Curtis-Williams on drums, Cameron Maxwell on bass, Pedro Cameron on violin, Gillian Fleetwood on harp and (long-time collaborator with Randolph’s Leap) Pete MacDonald on piano. Mercury Prize-nominated artist C Duncan was drafted in to write and perform backing vocal arrangements along with Amanda Nizich and Gillian Fleetwood.
Green Door studio was chosen as the destination as it specialises in analogue sound production but it had an extra significance for Adam. “Green Door was the first studio I ever recorded in, way back in 2009. My band Randolph’s Leap received a demo-development grant and we recorded our first EP there. The band had never actually been in the same room as each other and we were very naïve and unprepared. Recording to tape can be quite unforgiving and, in truth, we probably weren’t ready for it. It took me 16 years to build up the experience and courage to go back!”
This time around, the “unforgiving” nature of tape recording became an inspiration. “The musicians on the record are such great players that they rarely make mistakes, so there was a confidence there that we wouldn’t need to rely on copious amounts of editing or post-production, which isn’t always possible with tape anyway. If the songs sped up or slowed down a bit or you heard the piano stool creak or someone breathing then that was all fine. I wanted it to sound as natural and “real” as possible. The vintage equipment brings a delicious amount of depth to things like the drums. I’m not sure I can go back to digital now!”