YOU'LL never know where you are going, if you don't know where you've been. While classic adages lose or gain prominence over time, it is a philosophy that has helped to steer Sunstinger towards their latest release.

The alt-rock Fifers unveiled their fifth single last month in the form of Shimmer – a swirling symphony of introspection and reminiscence. In many ways it is a continuation of the work they have released to date, but with signs that the band are capable, if not eager, to move into new territory.

But as they being to hone their sound, it is clear that making sure they don't forget their own history is key. Indeed, Taylor Wright, the band's singer and guitarist, tells The Weekender that Shimmer has its origins in the band's own roots – growing up in small villages in Fife.

He reflects: "When you're younger you can see life in more detail. You take in a lot more because you tend to live in the moment. You aren't worried about tomorrow or what happened yesterday. Colours are brighter, hills are bigger, and time goes slower.

"Shimmer is a song about remembering who you are instead of trying to escape who you are or become something else – A celebration of these mining villages we were brought up in and the charm within them."

While their new release begins to attract listeners, Wright hopes the band will be able to unveil more new material down the line, with a return to live shows also on the list of next steps for the band.

However, as with most things at the moment, everything is on hold as the coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate the music industry.

"Obviously it's not ideal," Wright adds. "But we recorded four songs at the start of the year and just released shimmer last week so, luckily enough, we have material to keep active for a bit.

"Our next single Nothing's Alright, Leave Me Alone will hopefully be released in the next few months. [However], because of the virus, things are a lot slower and it may have an impact on these plans."

The singer continues: "We had to postpone a few shows including our single launch, which we were buzzing for. But I reckon once this is all over the gig scene will really pick up again and we can only look forward to that."

Sunstinger remain a tight-knit group, having been friends for many years. They all have experience playing in other projects, meaning they each brought grounded expectation with them when they joined up – no member really hoping to do anything more than make music. Indeed, it was, in a sense, an accidental project which has grown arms and legs over the past year or so.

Guitarist Scott Gourlay recalls: "We're all from small villages and towns in Fife…we've been mates for years as we all grew up in the music scene playing in various bands such as Sergeant, Foreignfox, Rioteers. So, it was easy when it came to forming the band.

"I had been out the scene for a good few years when Taylor got in touch and asked if I fancied jamming some songs he had been writing. It never was intended to be much more than that initially, but to take the songs to the next stage we had to bring in the bass and drums.

"We wanted to keep it as a project where four mates got together and recorded music and weren't thinking about gigging at all. But someone offered us our first gig at Liverpool Sound City after hearing some of our stuff which brought back our love of gigging and it's kept going ever since."

From there, Sunstinger have been around the block with performances at the EH6 Festival in Edinburgh and The Outwith Festival in Dunfermline. Recently they supported Forth Valley band The Nickajack Men at a sold-out King Tut's in January.

Sonically, the four are in harmony, but each brings a little bit of their own flavour to the mix. They have been able to craft a small body of work, with each song complementing each other. Shimmer has proven to be another string to that bow.

Gourlay adds: "Personally, each of us has quite an extensive range of music that influences us, but all meet in the middle. Bands like Joy Division, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Chameleons definitely play a part in our sound, although we still have a pretty unique sound, compared to other bands.

"Shimmer is in a similar vein to the previous releases but definitely has a more anthemic feel about it. We're really pleased with how it's turned out. I think it shows the maturity of Taylor's songwriting."

Some momentum had been building for the band and 2020 was to bring new material and a single launch in Edinburgh for Friday, March 27 – a week after the song's release. And while that blow was considerable, Sunstinger promise to return with a punch in the near future.

Gourlay concludes: "The single launch for Shimmer was postponed so we'll be keeping in close contact with venues and promoters to work something out. It isn't ideal but as long as everyone stays safe, that's the main thing. We'll be back out there soon."

Sunstinger (from left to right): Scott Gourlay, Nick Hernandez, Taylor Wright, Bill Anderson.