Tide Lines are a Scottish four piece band established in 2016. They’ve built a keen fan base and have been releasing music totally off their own back. Eye of the Storm was the band's last album, and the self-produced, self-released LP entered at #12 in the Official Album Charts - some feat for a DIY release. 

Now, with a new single ‘Written In the Scars’, and a major tour on the horizon, we caught up with the band to ask some further questions about them.

Tide Lines latest single ‘Written In the Scars’ has just been released, and I’ve noticed you have been getting some good airplay on BBC Radio2 etc. How is the reception to the song going so far?

It feels so great to have new music out again. It’s always nerve-wracking putting a song out there but we released it whilst on tour so we got an immediate sense of how audiences related to it. The longer it had been out, the more familiar audiences became with it so, as the tour went on, you could feel each audience singing the chorus a bit louder than the previous night! The Radio 2 play was a massive boost for us in getting the song not only to our own fans but to new ones. 

Your band's origin is described as from the Scottish Highlands, and apparently you have rehearsal space on the Isle of Mull. Is this kind of setting reflected within your music? Does it help draw inspiration?

Yea, we actually recorded our new album in Mull and it really defines the record - even the title. An Ocean Full of Islands is an image with a lot of figurative connotations but, on a purely literal level, it perfectly describes our view from the studio as we developed the songs whilst looking over Bunessan Bay and out to the Atlantic. We thought it was the perfect title because of how much the music was inspired by the environment we recorded in. 

Where does the name Tide Lines come from?

We wanted a name we felt related to the coastal areas of Scotland we’re originally from and Tide Lines is from our first single we released back in 2016, a song called Far Side of the World. There’s a line in the song “in my mind I see her smile; where the tide lines grace the isle”. We had this song recorded and ready to go but still didn’t have a name and it was one of the lads who came up with the idea of lifting that from the lyrics.

Your upcoming tour is due next year. Are there any venues you are specifically looking forward to playing?

That’s a tough question because we are genuinely excited about so many of the venues. I think the Usher Hall in Edinburgh is one I’d mention right away because it is such an iconic (and beautiful) venue in Scotland. The Electric Ballroom in London is also a gig we’ve heard a lot about so looking forward to that one. But we’re just glad to be returning to a lot of cities throughout the UK where we’ve had great nights before. I think Brighton is the only place we’ve never been before so that’s another one I’ll look forward to.

Who are your main influences as a band?

All four of us have pretty different influences developed over the years but there are a few common denominators. Our early influences were pretty eclectic. I think we all naturally listened to what our parents and siblings were listening to as we grew up. Everything from classic Rock, 80’s, 90’s and more traditional music. Then probably, throughout our school days, we all had very different tastes -  from harder rock through to electronic music and the chart music of the day. A fairly common theme for all four of us when it comes to early influences is actually the more traditional music of Scotland. I think all these aforementioned early influences can be heard in the cumulative sound we create today.

If you could choose one band or artist to work with, who would this be?

We’d probably all argue about this for hours with different suggestions but, seeing as it’s me doing the interview, I’m going to be selfish (and ridiculously over ambitious!) and go for Bruce Springsteen!

It looks like you guys have a decent fan base. Has this grown from gigging locally in Scotland, or have people started hearing your music on Spotify/radio?

I think the answer is a bit of both. Yes the fan base was built from touring a lot but, as that fan base grew, then of course streaming, radio, social media, press, and word of mouth has helped build upon and increase that initial fan base.

Have you got a standout gig or show you have played as a band?

Our O2 Academy show in Glasgow back in March this year was pretty special for us. Obviously it was a home town show and the biggest headline gig we’ve done to date in terms of capacity… but apart from that the crowd were just really amazing. A lot of the shows on our recent Town Hall Tour were pretty great too for totally different reasons. The objective was to take a large-scale production that would normally be associated with the likes of the O2 and try to transplant the whole ‘bells, whistles, and flashing lights’ experience in to a mix of rural halls and smaller venues. It went really well and made for some really memorable nights in local communities throughout the country.

Are you releasing any more singles from your upcoming album?

Yes - there will be one more single going into the album 

Have you got a message for your fans and followers?

Just that we really appreciate everyone who has supported us by pre-ordering the album and we’re looking forward to seeing them in the Spring time to play the songs! We really hope they enjoy the album when it’s released!

Thanks Tide Lines - all the best for the future!

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.