Glasgow’s Humour today released the track “Memorial,” offering a potent new taste of their upcoming debut album, “Learning Greek” (due August 8th via So Young Records).
“Memorial” is a masterclass in tension—snottily anthemic yet emotionally gutting. It exemplifies Humour’s high-wire balancing act across the album. Frontman Andreas Christodoulidis reflects on the inevitability of death from the beach at Troy, recontextualising Homer’s Iliad through Alice Oswald’s interpretation.
The track powerfully underscores how history persists through connection. Humour’s retelling places Hector and Andromache amidst buzzsaw guitars, their tragic fate looming. As drummer Ruaridh Smith and bassist Lewis Doig propel the pace, Christodoulidis sharpens millennia of history into a poignant point. It’s a joyous transgression asking, “What if the Iliad ripped?”, while also reminding us that stories must remain malleable. Christodoulidis shared further insights into the themes of this undeniable album highlight.
Memorial describes a scene from the Iliad in which Andromache must say goodbye to her husband Hector the night before he’s killed in battle. The main theme of the song is imminent disaster and trying to remain stoic in the face of it.
“Learning Greek,” Humour’s debut album, was produced by Idlewild’s Rod Jones at his Post Electric studio in Edinburgh. The album will be widely available on CD, standard LP, a Dinked edition LP featuring an exclusive colour and sleeve design, and a Rough Trade exclusive LP bundled with a zine containing lyrics and illustrations by Andreas. Following a spring and summer filled with live appearances, the band has also recently announced their most extensive UK headline tour to date, scheduled for November, in support of the record.
