Good things come to those who wait – though this might seem like a hopeless mantra through the long haul of a global pandemic, it does hold true in the case of Dark Sea, the long-awaited debut album by psychedelic guitar/drums power duo Man of Moon, which was released in September a mere eight years after singer/guitarist Chris Bainbridge and drummer Michael Reid first came together as a group.

The pair met on a sound production course in Edinburgh, skipping class to create their propulsive odysseys, inspired by Bainbridge’s love of listening to music while on the move.

For now though, Bainbridge is confined to barracks in Glasgow (with Reid sequestered in Edinburgh) and delivers his solo Scotsman Sessions take on album track Ride the Waves from his bijou bedroom studio set-up, recording in the wee small hours to capture the requisite spectral atmosphere.

“It’s one of my favourite tracks to play as it shows the darker, psychier vibe to our sound, so I wanted the room to be dark enough to suit the mood of the song,” he says. “Normally when I play it live I play it on bass but a few months ago, mid-lockdown, I reimagined the track on my minilogue synth for a livestream show and I really enjoyed sounding more stripped back.”

Man of Moon should have been rocking the autumn in support of Dark Sea. Instead, Bainbridge says, “I was on furlough for a few months, which gave me time to work on my home recording skills a bit and work on songs for album two. It has been strange releasing our debut and not being able to play it live, but we've been blown away by the response so far. I'm just excited for when we can gig again. It's been such a strange year for everyone.”

Dark Sea is out now on Cosmic Pool, https://manofmoonband.bandcamp.com/album/dark-sea-2

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The Scotsman Sessions #137: Man of Moon