RESTRICTED CODE - Chasing Shadows

Soul, funk and punk: with an unhinged eclecticism, Scotland's Restricted Code enjoyed brief notoriety in the 80s as support act for Human League and Fire Engines. Named best live act of the year by Sounds magazine (1981), acclaimed by press and public alike (rumour has it that Julian Cope, John Peel and Debbie Harry were huge fans of the Scottish band), they called time on their career when chart success failed to materialize, leaving behind just two singles and an Ep as their sole recorded legacy. In 2020 they picked up where they'd left off, uploading some new songs to Bandcamp, but once again it was their live impact that reignited interest.

Arriving in early December 2025, “Chasing Shadows” is Restricted Code's first proper album: a record marked by the passage of time and by the pull of nostalgia. Little remains of the old post-punk verve. The dramatic, noir elements are now underscored by crooner-style vocals and vintage keyboards. Some of the energy survives intact, but it's authenticity above all that proves the real keystone of “Chasing Shadows”.

The poetic theatricality à la Scott Walker of the evocative “Worlds Collide” and the raw “Gift Of Love”, the psychedelic keyboard flow in the style of Teardrop Explodes on the incisive “Run To Me”, and the never-banal pop forays of “A Little Wiser” and “Six Years” all carry an old-fashioned charm well worth your attention. 

No doubt Restricted Code missed the boat on success back in 1981, but these ten unpretentious songs are far more than a posthumous tribute to a cult band that never had luck on its side. It's no coincidence that the most classic and inspired melody of the bunch is titled "I Got Lost": the Scottish band's music is a meditation on the magic of an era that marked rock music's last true revolution, and being nostalgic isn't an act of resilience but of courage.

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25/04/2026