B-Side Guys

Distance measures differently when set to guitar hooks. Released in November 2024, Call Connie’s “City Chic” translates the universal experience of watching someone leave for metropolitan adventures into three minutes of infectious indie rock.

The Ayrshire four-piece, fronted by Lauchlan Bennett, delivers their third single with confidence earned through sold-out performances across Scotland. Their sound marries nostalgic early-2000s indie sensibilities with contemporary production sharpness, creating something familiar yet refreshed. The track’s punchy bassline functions as both rhythmic anchor and emotional undercurrent, reflecting the push-pull tension of someone both proud and envious of their departing beloved.

What distinguishes “City Chic” from standard long-distance laments is its tonal balance. While the lyrical content explores absence and yearning, the instrumentation remains buoyant and insistent. This contrast creates emotional complexity beyond simple melancholy, suggesting the narrator’s conflicted feelings—wanting their person back while acknowledging the importance of their urban exploration.

The track benefits from its straightforward approach. Unlike their Scottish indie predecessors who often leaned into poetic abstraction, Call Connie opts for direct emotional communication. This accessibility doesn’t diminish the song’s impact but rather amplifies it, allowing listeners to project their own experiences of watching someone outgrow shared spaces onto its melodic framework.

Following their earlier releases “Act Your Age” and “Cheap” (which garnered both UK and US radio attention), “City Chic” represents continued refinement of Call Connie’s emerging signature sound. Their trajectory from local venues like Broadcast and Room2 to the legendary King Tuts Wah Wah Hut suggests a band methodically building both audience and artistic identity.

Through “City Chic,” Call Connie crafts a track grounded in personal experience that resonates across different contexts. Their growing audience and promising trajectory toward a “jam-packed” 2025 suggest this Scottish quartet has found a distinctive voice worth following.