If you were an indie kid in the 90s like yours truly, it’s likely you’ll have a penchant for seminal Scottish band Arab Strap (Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton). Under the auspices of the fledgling, but later hugely influential Chemikal Underground record label (Mogwai, The Delgados, Bis), Arap Strap released six albums of slightly sordid, pessimistic, but disarmingly frank and tender odes to love, sex, drunken mayhem and the heady late 90s Glaswegian music scene. Brilliant stuff. My university years would have been a dramatically different experience without Philophobia to accompany my own ill-advised forays into love and relationships.

Arab Strap officially parted ways in 2006, and Moffat and Middleton each turned their attention to individual projects. Middleton released five successful solo albums before devising his latest incarnation, Human Don’t Be Angry, with Paul Savage. Released in April 2012, HDBA is a foray into electronic instrumentation with 80s power pop references – should be interesting!

I haven’t found a video release from HDBA, but here’s one from Middleton’s second solo album, Into The Woods:

Malcolm Middleton plays at El Lokal, ZH, Saturday 22.09.12. Tix here.

Human Don’t Be Angry is out now on Chemikal Underground.