Dundee alt rock newcomers Red Vanilla are delighted to kickstart their year with the announcement of second EP Where I Should Be, set for release on 3rd April 2026, and the first batch of new material from the band since their critically-acclaimed 2024 debut EP Days of Grey.

To celebrate the news, the quartet are sharing new single ‘Sunkissed Pools’ today, released 14th January 2026 via all good digital service providers.

Commenting on the themes of the single, vocalist Anna Forsyth says: “Sunkissed Pools is about your parents constantly worrying about your happiness or safety, wishing they could protect you, and my response to that. The lyrics explain how I feel the need to see myself through hard times, and let myself feel pain or sadness to prove to myself that I am capable of handling the ugly parts of life. Also, at the end, circling back to knowing my parents are who I’ll always run to when I feel the need, and that they just need to trust I’ll keep myself safe/make the best decisions I can, without them feeling the need to shield me from anything bad.”

“This is our first fully acoustic release, so we’re really excited to show off a totally different side to our songwriting. We went with the less is more approach on this track—just guitar, layered vocals and some synth—really hoping to draw attention to the story within this song, and I think a lot of young people might resonate with its meaning.”

The second track to be revealed from the new record, the single was recorded with producer Kieran Smith in the spare room of lead guitarist George’s flat in Dundee, which the band have turned into their own small home studio.

“It’s been really fun putting the new tracks out one song at a time,” says Forsyth of the new material. “We’re so proud of them all, and it’s been rewarding giving all of them their time in the sun. We wrote a lot of these songs years ago, but wanted to take our time with the release process. We’ve been working on our live set and building up a back catalogue of new music—now it feels right finally putting them out there, and we’re so ready to start working on a debut album next. The goal this time is to keep the ball rolling. We don’t want to wait around to record and release more music. We’ve got stories to tell, and lots to say, and we’re so excited with how our new material sounds. Here’s hoping 2026 is the start of something bigger for us.”

Since forming during the pandemic, Red Vanilla have made an impressive early name for themselves, leveraging their tenacity and ambition to launch into an identity bloom that took them beyond the borders of Scotland for the first time.

The band released their debut single ‘Embers’ in 2022 and their debut EP Days of Grey in 2024. A tightly wound and well-packaged collection of searing alt-rock songwriting, it marked them out as a bold new Scottish voice to keep tabs on, with the band earning a rush of early tastemaker support from CLASH Magazine, VISIONS Magazine, Discovery Music Scotland, The Punk Site, Maximum Volume, The List, The Skinny Magazine, The Courier and more.

Through their impassioned choruses, and notably on the explosive finale of lead single ‘All These Better Things’, the band strove relentlessly to bury the belittling opinions of any doubters, and flourished in the liberty that their newfound inner strength brought them.

Their dense, guitar-driven sound is elegantly wrapped in ‘90s inspired pop-hook vocals, and they’ve been slowly and steadily cutting their teeth on the road over the past few years, gathering pace as they hone their polished radio-ready rock sound.

They appeared at Outwith Festival 2022 alongside Fatherson and Pulled Apart By Horses, and have also played shows with fast-rising contemporaries in Reminders, Beach Riot, and Redwood, opening for Dea Matrona and Kyle Falconer (The View) across two nights at Camden Underworld, London.

Details of the new release and further live dates will be announced over the coming months.

Live Dates:

28.02.26 – Dundee – Hidden

Image provided by Rachel Roams