The Sandbox: Closed for Winter

Sandy's might be closed for break there's still plenty that we're listening to at Hearing Aid.

In this edition of The Sandbox, Ben Bagley, our Head of Artist Relations, and our editors, Mia Romanoff and Katlyn Mortimer, take us through what they've been obsessing over while Sandy's has been shut

‘oh baby’ — LCD Soundsystem

There is something so very January about this song to me. Maybe it's the way it starts slow, or maybe because it’s a track I always play very loudly in my car when driving between St Andrews and my hometown over winter break. According to Spotify, I played ‘oh baby’ 106 times last year, making it my most streamed song of 2025. When faced with heavy turbulence while landing at Edinburgh airport last week, I elected to listen to this song as a precaution for if the worst-case-scenario were to occur. Dramatic? Sure, but I’d argue that ‘this is the song I’d want to hear in my final moments’ should be a convincing recommendation. – Katlyn Mortimer

‘Say Why’ – Zach Bryan

Released just this past week (recency bias is alive and well at Hearing Aid), ‘Say Why’ has taken over my daily listening. While Bryan’s newest album, With Heaven on Top, may drag on a bit, ‘Say Why’ keeps things short, catchy, and downright addictive. – Mia Romanoff

‘Cruise Ship Designer’ – Dry Cleaning

Dry Cleaning’s latest album, released last week, is already shaping up to be one of my favourites of 2026. Florence Shaw’s dry sprechgesang delivery are juxtaposed with the band’s signature catchy guitar riffs and effortlessly tight rhythm section. If you thought the seemingly bottomless well of South London post-punk bands had dried up, you’d be wrong. – Ben Bagley

‘livin’ was easy’ — The Glands

One resolution I had for the new year was to proactively listen to music again, which is something I felt I had neglected in the final quarter of 2025. Following a recommendation from Wednesday’s lead singer Karly Hartzman, I discovered Georgia-based band The Glands, who released two LPs in 1997 and 2000, and then again in 2018, and nothing else ever since. ‘livin’ was easy’ is full of addictive Americana indie-rock (the same sort that Wednesday have been delivering with their latest album Bleeds), and has been the perfect soundtrack while I enjoy an empty St Andrews this January. – Katlyn Mortimer

Crows – Langkamer

While winter usually marks the time of year where I abandon all new music and return to the emo tendencies of my high school self, this winter I’ve been all about songs that make me want to dance around my room. ‘Crows’, a single off Langkamer’s upcoming album, No, is just that. It’s fun, it’s nostalgic – and honestly – it’s just a really song for driving around town doing nothing and shimmying around your living room. – Mia Romanoff

‘Wake up and Make Love with Me’ - Ian Dury

Listening to Baxter Dury’s ‘Allbarone’ inspired me to get into some of his dad’s work. ‘New Boots and Panties!!’, featuring a young Baxter on the cover, was recorded on a shoestring budget leaving only enough studio time for minimalist recording. This constriction only serves to elevate an album that feels like being transported back to the East End of London in the late 1970s. – Ben Bagley

‘Au Pays Du Cocaine’ — Geese

Everyone’s new favourite band have had a big year, and are set to have an even bigger 2026. But unfortunately for everyone who still maintains an individuality complex regarding their fandom of Geese and its frontman, I must make it known that ‘Au Pays Du Cocaine’ is on the H&M store playlist. Being my current place of work, I hear it once a shift, usually sandwiched between some Zara Larsson and Lola Young. It seems the only criteria for ‘The Sound of H&M’ playlist are internet popularity and/or the ability to make me unreasonably annoyed on the 8th hour of size-ordering blouses. Still, it’s an undeniably great track, with Cameron Winter delivering his signature drawl-ish vocals and heart-wrenching lyrics. – Katlyn Mortimer

‘Kippenautomat’ - Kraftklub

My final choice is a song about gentrification in the former East Germany, naturally. Kraftklub are a hugely popular rap/rock band in the German-speaking world but are yet to find fame across the North Sea. Their latest album, ‘Sterben in Karl-Marx-Stadt’, is one of their catchiest yet. – Ben Bagley

Los Angeles – Big Thief

Heartbreaking as always, Big Thief’s ‘Los Angeles’ has consumed me from the moment I heard it back in September. ‘Los Angeles’, strikes that signature balance between devastation and hope with this unflinching look at intimacy and separation that is perfect for all seasons. – Mia Romanoff