heavyskint: Vice
Heavyskint Drag Glasgow’s Chaos Into Brilliant Focus with Debut Single Vice
by Jack Rush
Glasgow has never been short on noise, but heavyskint bring a different kind of thunder—raw, unfiltered, and already dangerously magnetic. Born in 2024 as a humble bedroom project, the band has since exploded into one of the city’s most arresting new forces, selling out every show they’ve played and turning iconic venues like King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut into sweat-soaked catalysts for their rise. With their debut single Vice, heavyskint bottle the riotous energy of those nights into a track that feels both vintage and volatile.
Vice opens with punchy, spacious instrumentation—an echo of old-school rock atmospherics shot through with modern grit. Frontman Jacob Hunter wastes no time establishing himself as a standout, delivering seductive, rasping vocals that slither through the mix before erupting into full-throated desperation. His Scottish lilt recalls Paolo Nutini’s darker edges, but with an intensity that feels more combustible, less restrained. By the time the guitars rip into their ragged climax, the track has morphed from moody meditation to full-blown detonation.
Lyrically circling themes of temptation, unraveling, and self-inflicted chaos, Vice introduces heavyskint as a band standing at the knife-edge between control and collapse. And that tension is exactly what makes the song so compelling. It’s youthful recklessness fused with a brooding, vintage rock sensibility—Fontaines D.C. grit meeting Pink Floyd atmosphere, with a streak of late-’90s confrontation woven through the guitars.
Recorded with acclaimed producer Chris McCrory (Catholic Action, Walt Disco, Conscious Pilot), the single maintains the band’s melodic instinct while preserving the unpredictability of their live shows. Stories from the studio only reinforce heavyskint’s commitment to authenticity: one of Hunter’s vocal takes was so intense it sparked a noise complaint from neighbouring units, and guitarist Jamie Kelly laid down tracks that involved literally punching his instrument. “No guitars were harmed,” he insists, but Vice certainly sounds like something was pushed to its limits.
As debuts go, this is an early statement of intent—one that makes heavy promises and delivers on all of them. heavyskint have quickly become one of Glasgow’s most exciting prospects, and with their headline show at King Tut’s on January 10th, it’s clear they’re only just getting started.
Vice isn’t just a song; it’s a warning shot. And heavyskint are absolutely ones to watch.
