Broken Chanter – Shake It To Bits (Chemikal Underground)
With a new album due on Glasgow label Chemikal Underground in April 2026 songwriter Broken Chanter has shared lead single Shake It To Bits
Artist: Broken Chanter
Track: Shake It To Bits
Label: Chemikal Underground
Release date: 6 February 2026
Find it: Bandcamp
With a fourth album due in April Scotland’s Broken Chanter has shared the first new music since 2024 in the shape of lead single Shake It To Bits. And it’s an absolute gem of a track.
Barely over 2 minutes 40 it’s a bubbling track, with repeating refrains sounding as much like self-comforting as outward reassurance. There’s plenty of clean, chiming, guitars and sharp beats breaking through shimmering percussion that bounces from Orange Juice to Bombay Bicycle Club while being unmistakably Broken Chanter.
‘I’ve only cried once / Where no one else can see / My taxi driver told me / None of us are free’
This is all catchy as hell but, like all the best pop songs there is depth to be discovered, and duality to be explored. For underneath the brilliant pop surface is a darkness, bitterness even. As the guitars begin to bay and the exclamations are shouted you’re invited in to the song, and shown the vulnerability at its core. It’s a dance through the rain, the smile behind the tears, and it’s going to have you sing and dance along.
It’s a delight to have Broken Chanter returning and Shake It To Bits is both the perfect example of this band, and an exciting tease of evolving sound we could be set for on forthcoming album This Could Be Us, You, Or Anybody Else.
Shake It To Bits by Broken Chanter is out digitally now. Album This Could Be Us, You, Or Anybody Else is set for release on 10 April 2026 via Chemikal Underground.
Find Broken Chanter: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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Sarah Lay
A long-standing music journalist she's also co-founder of independent record label Reckless Yes, an author of novels, and when not messing around with words and music, a digital strategist.
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