Some debut singles introduce a band. Others sound like the starting gun for something considerably bigger. Avaline’s “Butterfly” belongs firmly in the latter camp.
Hailing from Aberdeen, Scottish four-piece Avaline arrive with a debut that feels remarkably assured for a band only at the beginning of its recorded journey. There is history behind them, with two members previously part of Sonnet, who shared stages with the likes of Supergrass, The View and Pastel before splitting earlier this year.
But “Butterfly” sounds less like a continuation and more like the beginning of something new.
From its opening moments, Avaline build a sound filled with a huge wall of sound guitars, huge energetic vocals and anthemic lyrics creating a sound that instantly hooks. Underneath, the rhythm section keeps everything moving with real urgency. Bass adds weight beneath the guitars while the drums steadily become more assertive, cymbals cutting through as the song begins to grow in stature. Even in its more spacious passages, “Butterfly” carries the sense that another surge is waiting just around the corner.
Then comes the chorus, and that’s where the track really takes flight.
“Fly away like a butterfly in the sky, run away don’t need no reasons why” is the kind of simple, immediate refrain that sticks quickly. There’s an almost escapist quality to the lyric, but what really sells it is the sound surrounding it. The guitars broaden, the percussion hits harder and Cody Forsyth’s vocal pushes above the growing wall of noise, transforming the chorus into something far bigger than the verses around it.
There’s a slight shoegaze haze to those guitars as they wash across the vocal, but underneath sits the punch of alternative rock. The hook remains clear even as the instrumentation becomes increasingly saturated, giving the chorus that arms-out, shout-it-back quality.
There’s a slight shoegaze haze to those guitars as they wash across the vocal, but underneath sits the punch of alternative rock. The hook remains clear even as the instrumentation becomes increasingly saturated, giving the chorus that arms-out, shout-it-back quality that feels built for a packed room.
That contrast is one of “Butterfly’s” strongest qualities.
Avaline cite influences ranging from Fontaines D.C., Catfish and the Bottlemen and Feeder to Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance and Sunny Day Real Estate, and you can hear why the band cast their net so widely.
There’s melody here, but also grit; shimmering guitar textures sit alongside heavier bursts of distortion, while moments of restraint only make the next explosion hit harder.
Crucially, Avaline don’t unload everything in the opening thirty seconds.
As “Butterfly” progresses, the soundscape becomes increasingly crowded in the best possible way. Guitar layers begin stacking on top of one another, the drums push harder and the cleaner separation of the early passages gradually gives way to a swirling, almost engulfing mass of guitars, percussion and vocal. Yet beneath all of that noise, the melody never disappears.
Producer Mark Morrow, whose previous credits listed by the band include swim school, WREst and Arcade State, helps give those different textures room to breathe. There’s enough clarity to hear the separate elements, but when Avaline want everything to collide, the production allows the track to become genuinely huge.
And by the final stretch, that chorus carries even more weight. The repeated idea of simply flying away and leaving the reasons behind feels increasingly suited to the music surrounding it — a song gradually breaking free of its restraints as the guitars grow louder and the arrangement opens up around them.
As a debut single, Avaline have made sure Butterfly is one worth paying attention to. Loud, expansive and armed with a chorus that refuses to leave your head, this is a debut that demands a second listen immediately.
Butterfly is released on Friday 9th October and can be pre-saved here.
Avaline Socials
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