We spoke to Scottish Pop/Rock trio Primes to learn more about them, their music and their ambitions. Read all about it below and listen to their music (Spotify player embedded at the bottom of the page).

Your new song, “Shangri-La”, has just been released. What is the story behind the song and how did you create/write it?
Ollie: We always start our songs the same way at the moment. Sarah will write a guitar riff, then Ollie and Sarah will get together and flush it out into a whole piece of music. Ollie then takes that away and writes the melody and the lyrics. Reece then gets involved when we catch back up as a whole band and get jamming the song but ultimately, it really comes together when we’re sitting in the studio. It’s a great time to sit and really listen to what the song is, what it needs and its a magic moment hearing it back for the first time.
Shangri-La started off as a love song about failed romance but it became more than that. Growing up we watch Disney films, binge cartoons and we end up believing in the “fairytale” ending that everything will be ok. Unfortunately, we’re not living in a fairytale and sometimes life is pretty crap and it can be a real burden just to wake up in the morning. I know, that sounds pretty depressing but there’s a subtler more positive message in the song too. The future is unwritten and each day is a new opportunity to strive for something different, whatever that may be. Hope is the real focus of the song.

If you had to describe your sound, how would you do so? Furthermore, what artists (or other sources) do you cite as influences?
Ollie: Rock. We can go into the different sub genres of rock like alternative, punk, pop, indie, etc. In all honesty we’re a rock band and we take inspiration from a lot of different artists. Reece is a big fan of dance music, heavy metal and pop. Sarah likes rock, pop and dance too. I like a bit of everything but mostly rock music.
I think if we had to name influences as an individual they’d all be very different. We’re influenced by artists we don’t necessarily sound like, but as a band I’d say Biffy Clyro, Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon and Placebo. Quite a varied bag! As I said, it’s not necessarily who we sound like but I’d say there’s some of those sounds in our music too.

What have been band highlights so far? And what is on your bucket list that you’d want to achieve?
Ollie: So many to choose from. We’ve been together 3 years now and it’s been a wild time and it’s really flown in. We’ve packed a lot into those years. For me, my highlights have got to be Party at the Palace, Vibration Festival, Butefest and touring all over the UK. It’s been pretty incredible. For me my favourite show is always in our home town of Falkirk, seeing our friends and family and enjoying what we’ve achieved with them is fantastic.
What isn’t on our to do list would be an easier question! We have so much we’d still love to do, we’re only really starting our journey as a band but for me a US and European tour would be bucket list material and supporting Foo Fighters would be a dream!

If you could be the main support for any living artist, who would that be for and why?
Ollie: Sort of answered this above, sorry! Foo fighters, I’m just a massive fan, especially of Dave. I think they’re rock band goals in terms of what they’ve achieved, how they go about being a band and the quality of their music. I’d love to tour with them!

What artists have you been listening to? Additionally, who should others be listening to?
Sarah: I have been listening to a lot of great artists coming out of Scotland recently. Stand outs for me are Spyres, Lucia & the best boys, Vukovi, Hyyts, Ruby Gains, The Vegan Leather and Alex Amor. So many to many to pick from but that’s been my go to in the last few few weeks.