The XCERTS have not lost a step. The Aberdeen-formed, Brighton-based trio return with “do it to myself,” their first original music since 2023 and their debut release on FLG Records. It is a frenetic, grunge-laden alt-rock statement that reconnects the band with the raw urgency that defined their early work, and it lands with real force.
The track was written collaboratively in the same room, something the band stepped away from on their 2023 releases ‘Learning How to Live’ and ‘Let Go.’ That return to shared, immediate creativity is audible in every second of the recording. Bright, urgent guitar tones recall the energy of 2014’s ‘There Is Only You’, while vocalist and guitarist Murray Macleod delivers one of his most vulnerable performances to date. “There’s a desperate urgency about this song,” he says. “It’s an admission of my fragility and tendency to self-sabotage. That conflicting feeling was intentional. We wanted it to feel uncomfortable, honest, and human.”
The XCERTS, completed by bassist Jordan Smith and drummer Tom Heron, have maintained the same unbroken lineup since forming in 2001, a rare feat that speaks directly to the depth of the creative bond at the band’s core. After a run of records that leaned toward more polished, pop-adjacent textures, “do it to myself” marks a decisive return to grit and catharsis without sacrificing any of the melodic weight the band has developed across two decades.
Macleod has remained active outside the band as well, recently appearing as guest vocalist on As It Is’ single “Ruin My Life” and serving as live guitarist for Idlewild. The XCERTS’ connection to the UK alternative scene has never dimmed, and “do it to myself” makes clear the next chapter is going to be worth paying close attention to.