On the heels of their​​​​ critically acclaimed 2022 debut album Unlearning, Glasgow’s premier post punk queer sextet Walt Disco have announced the Always Sickening EP due out November 25 on Lucky Number. The new collection is an eclectic series of covers of their favorite artists. Now, they share their thundering, climactic rendition of lead single “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (Dusty Springfield)”. The EP also includes covers of Aldous Harding, The Japanese House, The Associates and Stephanie Mills.

Walt Disco on the EP: “We chose each song for their intrinsic charm and motherly guiding quality. We see this in the confident proclamation in ‘Never Knew Love Like This Before’, the thankless devotion of ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’, the shady commentary on the bourgeois in ‘Club Country’ by our heroes The Associates, the tenderness of ‘Saw You in a Dream’, and the bizarre world of Aldous Harding’s ‘The Barrel’. Each song has a strong sense of emotion and self, which we strive for in our own music. We had a lot of fun working on these covers, both in forming our own interpretations and in recording it ourselves in our wee studio.” 

Walt Disco on covering “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”: “Whilst deciding on which songs to cover for this EP, as soon as this tune entered the conversation, we knew we had to do it. Recording our take on that massive and marvelously dramatic intro was one of the most exciting moments we’ve had recording together. The emotion of this song really connects with us too. This message of love and understanding that, although it may ultimately be unreciprocated, you’re still willing to take any small piece of this person they can spare for you. It’s incredibly poignant, and we feel we’ve preserved that feeling while putting our own edge on this classic.”

Unlearning is out now via Lucky Number and is currently nominated for the AIM Album of the Year award and the SAY Award (Scottish Album of the Year). The breath-taking debut is steeped in metamorphoses, a stage show in two acts. It covers flings and romances, identities and bodies and change, profound familial love, and – of course – Hollywood glamour. While the themes of the album are universally relatable, Walt Disco’s gift is in the unique experience of discovery and heartbreak between queer people. In Walt Disco’s eyes, it’s never too late to become what you might have been and there are plenty of possibilities to explore on Unlearning.

Photo Courtesy: Celia Croft