Pinact

Pinact sounds like a garage band trying to play a pop song while a jet engine idles in the room. There is a relentless, vibrating quality to their music, defined by Corrie Gillies' blown-out guitar tone and a rhythm section that sounds like it is constantly sprinting to keep up. It is the sound of Glasgow's rainy streets filtered through a stack of distortion pedals, balancing the aggression of 90s grunge with the infectiousness of classic power-pop.

What makes them distinctive is the 'scuzz' factor. While many indie bands aim for a clean, polished finish, Pinact leans into the red. They use noise as a structural element, letting feedback and grit provide the atmosphere that synths or strings might provide for other bands. Beneath the wall of sound, however, lies a genuine knack for songwriting; the melodies are often surprisingly sweet and vulnerable, creating a compelling tension with the abrasive exterior.

Start with 'Stand Still and Rot' to hear them at their most visceral and unfiltered. It captures the frantic energy of their live shows and establishes their signature blend of melody and mayhem. If you want something slightly more expansive but no less fuzzy, 'The Part That No One Knows' shows their evolution into more complex arrangements without losing the grit that makes them essential.