After moving to London in his early 20s, Graham formed an early incarnation of Peter Cat, who released the 2015 single ‘Keeping Up With Jacob’ and accompanying video to considerable praise (this included their first review in French, which according to Google Translate noted Gillespie’s “fruity talent for composition”).

Growing tired of the relentless grind of the capital and craving a more creative environment, Gillespie relocated back to his hometown of Glasgow in 2016 with a new lineup, new songs and a new focus. Swiftly recruiting members of local luminaries The Cosmic Dead and Halfrican as a backing band, Gillespie decamped to the Glasgow’s celebrated Green Door Studios to record ‘Hand Through Hair’ and ‘Disappointing Lover’, which were recorded by engineer Sam Smith (ex-Mother & The Addicts, Casual Sex) and mixed by Chris McCrory of Catholic Action.

It would be easy to say that Peter Cat blends classic songwriting with a modern indie-pop edge to create something new and exciting. It would be easy because it’s true; yet Peter Cat are more intriguing than that, and much less of a cliché.

On hearing Graham’s voice for the first time, one instantly realises that one is not dealing with your average, run-of-the-mill guitar band. His bass-baritone owns the proverbial stage, simultaneously commanding and vulnerable; it sits somewhere between Scott Walker and Morrissey. Soaring vocals are complemented by classic arrangements: contrary to much modern guitar music, no chord goes unconsidered, no note outstays its welcome.

The music is stylistically restless, moving from breezy indie-pop (‘Keeping Up With Jacob’) through 70s glam-stomp (‘Hand Through Hair’) to woozy, reverberated torch song (‘Disappointing Lover’). The production is brash and bold, the vocals front-and-centre: contrary to waves of modern guitar bands content to hide behind walls of reverb or fuzz, Peter Cat want you to hear the crispness of every note and the poignancy of every lyric.

In a world in which hyper-consumption and social media increasingly encourage the projection of a perfect self, Peter Cat do quite the opposite. Graham narrates our common human imperfections through poetic lyrics, which are at turns both flippantly humorous and unflinchingly honest. On fan favourite ‘You Fucking Bastard, How Could You’, Graham turns the tired male rock star’s bitter diatribe towards an ex on its head, re-telling the story from the perspective of the woman rarely given a voice.

Don’t try to make advances, ‘cause I’ve already spurned them
And don’t ask me for your jumpers back, ‘cause I’ve already burned them
So turn round on your trendy heels and go

And ‘Disappointing Lover’ is, to put it bluntly, the catchiest track about erectile dysfunction you’ll hear this decade.

Graham’s goal as a songwriter is to encourage people to be as honest about themselves as he aims to be. Rather than pretend to be perfect (we never are), music can help us to come together and bond over our imperfections – our insecurities, our jealousies, our fears. Through this act of coming together and mutually acknowledging where we fall down, we can help one another to truly build up and become better. And if all this can be done to a relentlessly catchy melody, then all the better.

So listen to Peter Cat – it’s good for your soul.

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Press quotes for Peter Cat:

"I knew nothing about this band 5 minutes ago and now I'm a huge fan...Peter Cat are here and I'm happy for that.”
– A PESSIMIST IS NEVER DISAPPOINTED

"Wonderfully jaunty yet intellectually deep...just the right mix of brilliance and weirdness.”
– THE METAPHORICAL BOAT

"A sweeping lyrical poem of a track...exudes pure animal magnetism.”
– DIAMOND DEPOSITS

"A distant cousin of XTC's 'Making Plans For Nigel'...but also has that sense of fun and hooks that served The Coral so well.”
– SPECTRAL NIGHTS

"Echoes of the best of Blur...the band set themselves apart from the cascade of feelgood bands out there.”
– ITS ALL HAPPENING