Arab Strap

Born in Falkirk, Scotland, Arab Strap have brought together Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton since 1995 around writing that is at once intimate and stark, situated between indie rock, slowcore, nocturnal folk and discreet electronic textures. Early linked to the Scottish scene of the late 1990s, Arab Strap drew attention with The Week Never Starts Round Here in 1996 and Philophobia in 1998, records where Moffat’s semi-spoken voice, his pronounced accent and Middleton’s melancholic guitars established a tone of ordinary tales, shaky relationships, alcohol and listlessness. After a stint on Go! Beat for Elephant Shoe in 1999, the duo returned to Chemikal Underground and followed with The Red Thread in 2001, Monday at the Hug and Pint in 2003 and The Last Romance in 2005, while touring with bands such as Mogwai, Tindersticks and Bright Eyes. Split in 2006 and reunited for concerts from 2016, Arab Strap resumed sustained activity and released As Days Get Dark in 2021, then I’m totally fine with it 👍 don’t give a fuck anymore 👍 in 2024 on Rock Action Records. Across these periods, Arab Strap have maintained a slow, taut, narrative music in which the duo evolves their original minimalism toward broader arrangements without abandoning their Scottish roots.