Artist Interview: Unspeakable Monday
In the vibrant music scene of Edinburgh, a fresh blend of folk lyricism and fiery rock ‘n’ roll energy is making waves. That blend belongs to Unspeakable Monday, the band formed by a group of music students at Edinburgh College in 2021. As they gear up for the release of their first single and much-anticipated debut album, we sat down with vocalist/lyricist Bekah, guitarist Will, bassist Kris, and drummer Xander to talk about their unique sound, memorable gigs, and the stories behind their music.
Tori: Can you elaborate on how the Folk Songwriter element influences your overall Rock 'n' Roll sound?
Bekah: I think overall, the folk influence really shows through in the melodies between the vocals and guitar. Will and I work with each other to find suitable harmonies within his guitar parts, so they tend to have a more melodic feel even when they are in a harder rock sounding song.
Tori: Bekah, as the primary source for lyrics and melodies, how do you manage to blend those seemingly disparate styles in your writing process?
Bekah: I listen to so much of both styles: mostly Paramore, Taylor Swift, Kim Carnie, and the likes of Poppy, Fall Out Boy, and Ghost. I think a great example of a band who also does this "blend" is Fleetwood Mac—there’s always a story in their lyrics, but there's a certain fire in the instrumentals. The main thing that rock and folk have in common is the passionate emotions behind the songs, so I think a lot of our music mirrors the lyrics I write.
Tori: The band formed in 2021 while studying music at Edinburgh College. How did your shared academic experience shape your dynamic and musical direction?
Bekah: I think all of us developed a good idea of how to compose ourselves while at venues and talking to music professionals from our college experience. We got to meet some cool people like Callum Beattie, and I even got to play an original song for him and his manager during that visit. Hearing from a range of experienced professionals definitely made me feel more confident talking to different industry people.
Will: As well as all the seasoned professionals we were able to speak to, there was the range of different musicians studying alongside us with completely different backgrounds and different musical perspectives. Being exposed to that opened my eyes to a lot of things I might, otherwise, have never been exposed to.
Xander: To add on to what Bekah said, college was useful in setting us up with the right tools on how to present ourselves in the music industry. Even down to small things like how to correctly liaise with promoters, venues, and sound engineers and what the expectations are for us as a band other than showing up and playing tunes to a crowd. I've seen a lot of what I learned be applied in a practical setting.
Tori: What has been the most memorable or pivotal gig you've played in Edinburgh so far?
Bekah: For me, the most pivotal gig was our La Belle 4-band gig from 2022. It was maybe our third gig ever, and at one point my mic completely cut out. Usually, I would've panicked, but the energy in the room kept me going, and I ran to another mic. I felt such a rush after that performance, and I didn't want to leave the stage.
Will: We were lucky to get the opportunity to perform our music in support of Petrol Girls. I think that opened my eyes to my capabilities as a performer. But I agree with Bekah, the gigs we’ve grown the most as musicians are the ones where something has gone catastrophically wrong outside of our control.
Xander: The Caves 2023 was really cool! We got to play alongside some more experienced musicians in the field with Kris Barras Band and Dea Matrona. We got thrown in the deep end with that, but the other bands and management were really nice to us despite our lack of experience at the time.
Tori: With Xander as the drummer, Kris as the bassist, and Will as the guitarist, how would each of you describe the role your individual instrument plays in defining the Unspeakable Monday sound?
Will: I think as the guitarist, I’m sort of the final glue to each song. There’s always a risk of doing too much as the frequencies of guitar are close to the voice, so for me, I feel I have a responsibility to bring the songs alive without distracting from Bekah.
Xander: I take heavy inspiration from rock/metal music, so often, if I’m stuck in the music-making process, I'll resort back to a groove or fill that invokes certain emotions and will demo it to the band to see what they think. Usually, you can tell straight away if it's a hit or a miss.
Kris: I think my bass lines offer an element of cohesion to our sound that complements the drive of the drums and the bounce of the guitar.
Tori: Your first single, "Greatest Goodbye," is set for release on October 13th, 2025. What can you tell us about the inspiration behind this track?
Bekah: The track came about during a random rehearsal day right at the start of the band coming together. I effectively cowered up in the corner and started writing lyric ideas while the band was "faffing about" with different ideas. It was a total whirlwind of a songwriting session, but it's ended up becoming our most iconic song. The song is basically about catching a partner on a date with someone else and deciding you don't need to deal with that.
Xander: When creating this song, I remember it flowing seamlessly together. It was like the floodgates had opened, and before we knew it, we had this fully-fledged song that would turn into one of our fan favorites. I'm really happy with the evolution of this song, as my part has changed dramatically since the first time we played it live.
Tori: How does "Greatest Goodbye" set the tone for your much-anticipated first album, scheduled for release in April 2026?
Bekah: It was the first song we wrote properly together and has a lot of great memories attached to it, having played it at every live gig since the start. It gives our fans a bit of a gift for all their support and is also a great introduction to our sound due to the different sections within the song.
Tori: The album will include 'Nightmare Women' and 'Rupture.' What makes those tracks resonate so strongly with your audience in a live setting?
Bekah: 'Nightmare Women' is about my experiences as a woman in the music industry. It was written after I attended a big rock gig, and at the mere mention of Taylor Swift, I heard a grumble of boos from old rocker guys in the crowd. At first, I kind of thought, "Wow, that makes me feel so sad to hear them boo someone that their own daughters probably look up to," and then it dawned on me that they'd probably boo no matter who was mentioned if they were a woman. I got angry and birthed 'Nightmare Women.' 'Rupture' is sort of an aftereffect of 'Nightmare Women.' It's about finding power from being different and from your life.
Xander: Instrumentally, these songs are like night and day. In one hand, we have a strong, on-the-beat headbanger that invokes perhaps darker emotions, whereas the other song is a groovy, off-beat tune that often can feel lighter than our other originals.
Tori: After building a strong presence in Edinburgh, what are the biggest challenges and opportunities you anticipate as you expand to other regions?
Will: A lot of the opportunities we have been granted that allowed us to flourish in Edinburgh came from us all being there in person for other people’s shows. Showing up and integrating yourself is much easier in your home city than in Glasgow, especially for those of us that rely on public transportation. Luckily, we’ve still managed to make connections across Scotland; this is going to make 2026 very fun!
Tori: You performed an acoustic set at The Meadows Festival 2025. How does your approach to an acoustic set differ from your usual electric performances, and which do you prefer?
Will: With acoustic sets, there are strong limitations—obviously for Xander, not having cymbals and relying on what he has access to on a cajon, and for me, having no access to my usual bag of tricks that don’t transfer as well to acoustic guitar. These limitations are where we found an opportunity to be creative, and to be honest, drawing from Bekah's folk background in the process of songwriting made these songs transfer well to an acoustic arrangement.
Tori: Could you walk us through a typical songwriting or arrangement process for Unspeakable Monday? Who brings what to the table first?
Bekah: It totally depends on what type of song we want. I write songs all the time, so sometimes I come up with something I want to bring to the band, and they'll build on it. Other times, they'll bat an idea around for a while, then show it to me, and I'll write with the instrumental as a reference.
Tori: Your band name, Unspeakable Monday, sounds intriguing. Is there a story or a specific meaning behind the name?
Bekah: Honestly, the band was formed in 2021 for a college class, and the name was sort of random. But now, as time has gone on, it's really representative of the idea of a wild weekend debrief where you talk to your friends and decide you're never going to go out again—but you always do. It's a free-spirited kind of energy, and it now means a lot to us.
Tori: If you could open for any established rock or folk artist right now, who would it be and why?
Bekah: As the band, I think I'd flip if I got the opportunity to open for Fall Out Boy or Ghost. As a solo artist, my music is more in the folk realm, so I'd love to open for someone like Dodie or Clairo.
Will: That depends on how realistic we want to be, but for me, I’d love the opportunity to play with a band like Quicksand or The Life and Times.
Xander: My obvious answer would be Ghost, but to be a little more creative, I'd say Paramore for sure. I would say we've followed a lot of their different sounds throughout their career and have mixed-genre songs too, so we'd fit well with them.
Tori: If you could write a song for any Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, who would you choose and why?
Bekah: This is a hard question, but I think if I was to write with anyone, it would be Stevie Nicks because her poetic lyricism always blows me away, and I'd want to see what her process is like. I think as a band, if we wrote for anyone, we'd have a lot of fun writing for Madonna! We've been working on a side-project that includes a cover of 'Hung Up' that's been so fun to learn!
Xander: I would love to write a song with Metallica, specifically James Hetfield, just to see his process! I'd also be honored to write with Green Day and Foo Fighters.
Tori: Looking ahead to the album release in April 2026, what do you hope listeners will take away from this first full-length project?
Bekah: I really want our listeners to dig into the album and listen not only to the instrumentals but also the lyrics. There are a lot of topics covered, from mental health to creative burnout, jealousy between female artists, and betrayal. It's an emotionally complete collection of songs that we are all very proud of, and I hope everyone enjoys listening as much as we've enjoyed playing them.
Will: For me, these songs are sort of a living document of myself as a guitarist and where I was drawing influence from when we wrote them, and since it’s such an emotional record, it really shows our collective headspace. I can only hope listeners will feel that and emotionally connect with the album.
Xander: In my opinion, I would hope the listeners will take away the lyricism in some of the songs because there are some complex themes in them that could be missed in a live setting.
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