Katie Gregson-MacLeod returns with new singles, ‘Mosh Pit’ and ‘James.’
Katie Gregson-MacLeod is back – and she’s entering a new chapter following the release of her February single, ‘Teenage Love.’
The Scottish singer-songwriter has just dropped two new singles, ‘Mosh Pit’ and ‘James,’ as the first tastes of her upcoming EP ‘Love Me Too Well, I’ll Retire Early,’ out July 4. It’s her first project with Matt Maltese’s boutique label Last Recordings On Earth, and if these tracks are anything to go by, we’re in for something pretty special.
After making a name for herself with the painfully raw ‘complex (demo),’ which blew up on TikTok and scored an Ivor Novello nomination in 2023, Gregson-MacLeod’s new songs feel like a natural evolution.
First up, ‘Mosh Pit’ is anything but chaotic, despite the name. Instead, it feels like falling into a soft emotional spiral. Wrapped in woozy guitars and a sleepy kind of summer light, it captures that weird in-between feeling in a relationship – when things are off, but you’re not ready to let go.
“This one is close to my heart. A love story told through a series of snapshots of hazy London summers and sweaty indie rock gigs.
It doesn’t build to any huge climax – it just kind of floats, giving you space to sit in the feeling. It’s a song for overthinkers, for people who love a little too much and maybe a little too quietly.”
‘James’ is a different kind of love song; softer, warmer, but still full of questions. It’s about letting your guard down with someone new, while still carrying the weight of old fears. The central line – “But how will I know if it’s the real thing?” – is the heart of the track.
"The song was written very quickly, and for a while I thought I would change the central line. However, after living with it for a year before recording, I realised that that question was the song itself. It was the first time I’d thought about what I wanted in a relationship, instead of worrying only if I was what they wanted.”
The track was co-written with fellow Scotsman Joesef and producer Josh Scarbrow, and the fiddle outro, improvised by Laura Wilkie, ties everything together beautifully as a kind of emotional exhale at the end.
These two singles hint at an EP that’s going to be deeply personal. ‘Love Me Too Well, I’ll Retire Early’ was recorded in the Scottish Highlands at Edwyn Collins’ studio in Helmsdale, and it’s clear Katie’s gone back to her roots on this record. After parting ways with Columbia Records last year, this new era feels smaller, more independent and way more her.
She’s also hitting the road this fall, with a 16-date tour across the UK, Ireland and Europe, kicking off in Dublin on September 26.