Bonnet Laird - We Could've Sat

Bonnet Laird

We Could've Sat
​self-released; 2022

3.8 out of 5

​By Dino DiMuro

“Bonnet Laird” is said to be “a derogatory term used for wealthy and petty Scottish landowners, wearing a bonnet like the humbler folk.” It’s also the name of the band that has just released this three-song EP titled We Could’ve Sat. I’m at a disadvantage here, as I can’t find a human name behind the band’s music, so I’m going to simply call the main creative person “Laird” and hope that works.

The band explains that the idea behind their creation was to “give ourselves a platform where we could create art that we are proud of. Every time I tried, even to write the simplest thing on a social media platform, I got further away from myself. Trying to censor what I really wanted to say was exhausting for me. I don't have time for that when I want to make my art, as I want to make it. Having an anonymous alias allows me to do this.” The band hopes that their music makes you feel something or experience some emotion, whatever that may be. Influences include Bon Iver, Tame Impala, Lianne La Havas, Last Dinosaurs, Haim, Pinegrove, Sarah Jarosz and Feng Suave. 

Recording took place in The Shetland Islands using Logic Pro X with stock plugins. Laird states that he didn’t go hunting for bigger and better plugins, wanting to understand what he already had readily available. “The stock stuff certainly doesn’t hold me back!” Mastering was by Tim Matthew.

“Get It Now” starts the EP off with a bit of a trick: it sounds exactly like a malfunctioning cassette, with the tape sliding off the heads and the azimuth totally out of phase. I was ready to chide the artist for the bad recording quality, when it suddenly popped right back into the full harmonic spectrum! Laird describes this song as “a wonky, poppy, funk and psychedelic alternative-inspired track. The feel and *almost* random lyrical content was influenced by a lucid dream. The song was written on a warm summer’s day, and that’s how it’s supposed to sound.”

Having played this track before reading the notes, “Funk pop psychedelia” is exactly how I thought of this music. It’s indeed big and bright and all-encompassing, with every available bit of sonic space stretched nearly to the breaking point. Head-trip lyrics include: “Every planet would be sunrise / Every star would be our sun / From there we'd journey home.” 

In prepping us for the next track, Laird states: “If 'Get It Now' is your high, then 'LUDE' serves as the comedown.” I don’t know if I’d call it a comedown exactly, as I found “Lude” to have a Bowie-like intensity (including jazzy saxophone). Laird describes the music in detail: “It’s a dark, murky and unusual song, with sudden dynamic changes and modulations. An old broken radio with clips of famous cult members and controversial leaders recorded on an old phone were used to add to the uneasy emotions.” This middle track is my clear favorite, as the kamikaze wah wah guitar solo in the middle takes the proceedings to another level, followed by an absolutely lovely string section against the miasma of dictator samples. 

The final track “Home On Fire” sounds the most traditional to me. Laird says it’s “a groove based, almost R&B track. The world (our home) is literally already going up in flames. It's killing us and everything else, and we caused it. When Covid hit, photos were shared of animals claiming back cities while everyone was isolating... make of that what you will. But that was definitely in my mind when the song was written.” What most stands out in this tune, aside from the funky groove and the Hendrix tonality of the guitar, is the expert sax by Norman Willmore.

​Overall a very unusual and unexpected musical treat, and surely a sign of greater things to come!

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