VANSLEEP have gone a step darker with their latest release Chambers – but the shift has been a long-time for the Granite City four-piece.

Though subtle, the progression has been on the cards for the band for 12 months or so as they continue to develop their sound.

As such, Chambers is described as a 'flagship song' by the quartet and certainly has a sharper edge to it.

The track also follows-up their most successful release in the form of Acid Weather, with both featuring on a three-song EP to be released later this year.

The band gave The Weekender a glimpse into the evolution of their sound as they mix their indie roots with more moodier elements.

Guitarist Keir Smith says: "Chambers is a big development in our sound, and we could all agree that it's the flagship song which serves as a good middle-ground between the other two songs [on the EP].

"Over the past year or so, a lot of the ideas that we've been working on have developed to have the darker, moodier vibe that's exhibited in Chambers. And, as a band we've been very happy with that direction in comparison to the lighter and more 'indie' songs that our live set used to comprise a lot of.

"It's been quite a natural progression through playing together and going through lots of song ideas regularly under normal circumstances."

Smith adds: "We hope that it will shift people's perspective on how they view us relative to our music, and to consider it an advancement in songwriting maturity.

"It's a very energetic track that's set to create excitement in the chorus, and we hope that people resonate with the intense build-ups, especially leading up to the final chorus."

Singer Kyle MacRitchie continues: "Lyrically it's a much more direct way of projecting my emotions. Chambers is different because there are a lot of repeated lines which I think adds to the power that the song holds.

"Lyrically, I always want to push myself to do something different and push myself out of the comfort zone which I think this single reflects very well."

Vansleep have not been immune from the perils of the music industry, but have endeavoured to make the most of the time they to work on their craft.

They managed to perform a headline show in Aberdeen and Glasgow, along with a support slot for Dancing on Tables, just before lockdown – which may have helped create a bit of a buzz ahead of their previous single release.

Acid Weather was unveiled in April and was a success for the four-piece, with thousands of streams now clocked up online.

Drummer Bilal Benzahia says: "Like everyone, we've had to face challenges posed by the pandemic, but I think we managed to stay productive between finishing the academic year, a bit of boredom-motivated spring cleaning and of course plenty of practice and songwriting.

"We always try and time a release to be close to a gig so we can push fan excitement as much as possible. We were fairly 'lucky' in that we headlined Aberdeen in February, played in Glasgow two weeks later and then supported Dancing On Tables the week before lockdown.

On Acid Weather, he adds: "We were very pleased with the reception; it's our fastest song to hit 1,000 streams, and the first song to do so on release day. It doesn't sound like a lot but it's a little milestone we're very proud of.

"As the first song off an EP, which reflects our current sound more closely than previous releases, it's also been great to hear all the positive feedback in the direction we've taken musically."

Chambers was released on Friday, August 14, with a third and final track from the EP expected to be unveiled later this year.