‘Scarborough’ is a noticeable departure from the psychedelic, folk-tinged rock of the quartet’s recent releases and shows the band’s diversity in composition alongside Cheeseman's impressive vocal capabilities.
The song follows the tragic story of a love triangle, ending in suicide, set in a small fishing village in the UK during the 19th century. Titled in reference to the town where Marc’s (vocals/guitar) grandparents grew up, the song also contemplates historical continuity and the concept of progress. Technology improves, but does that make people kind to each other? Connectivity increases, but does that make people happy? These ghosts haunt every moment of our hyper-modern lives, don’t you want to know how far they have come?
The track was originally written for a vaguely-planned medieval/folk inspired EP with early versions of the song being quite subdued.
“Initially I wanted it to be a quiet song, like something you would hear in a dark corner of a tavern in rural England on a stormy night. Like an almost forgotten folk song with a deep past," says Cheeseman, “But when we started jamming on the song as a band it just felt better to play it loud. It seemed more urgent and compelling, like an epic folk ballad containing secret knowledge."