Album Review The Spook School - Could It Be Different?

There are few cities in the UK that seem to possess the sheer productivity of Glasgow. Whether there’s something in the water (or Irn Bru?) still remains to be seen, but regardless, the current crop of bands pouring out of Scotland’s not-quite-capital city is unstoppable. And leading the charge, The Spook School – taking their name from the city’s Glasgow School art collective – bring together their personal stories for ‘Could It Be Different?’ Insisting that it’s “alright to cry ” on ‘Alright’, dropping in witty lyrical nods to ‘This Charming Man’ on the Anna Cory-led ‘I Only Dance When I Want To’ slinging an almighty ‘fuck you’ in the direction of a past abuser on defiant opener ‘Still Alive’, and celebrating difference on ‘Body’, this record sees the four-piece muddle experience together into a scrappy, quick-smart slab of danceable indie pop that channels pain into joy.