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'There's Self-Doubt, Darkness, But There's Hope': Scottish Band Frightened Rabbit Pens Turbulent Tunes

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Scottish band Frightened Rabbit. (Courtesy Dan Massie)
Scottish band Frightened Rabbit. (Courtesy Dan Massie)

There's an indie band that sings of dysfunctional relationships and loss — some of the common themes in rock lyrics — and then it ventures into deeper territory: panic attacks and addiction.

The subjects the songs deal with hint at the band's name: "Frightened Rabbit." The Scottish group will perform at Boston Calling next weekend, playing songs from its latest album, "Painting of a Panic Attack."

WBUR’s Rita Cary spoke with lead singer Scott Hutchison from Glasgow. She describes Hutchison as a "really shy, introspective soul." Hutchison explained that his mom called him a "frightened rabbit" when he was little because she said that was the look he got on his face when she wanted to take him to the park to play with other kids.

“I find it kind of amusing that something that I would call the band I had great aspirations for, and I was hoping to play to lots of people, I would call that after essentially my own social disorder," Hutchison said.

The singer-songwriter reflected that he's a lot more confident now than when he was a kid, though some of that anxiety and self-doubt still exist and creep into the band's songs.

"But I always make sure that there is a light at the end. It's a very Scottish way of looking at things," he said. "It's like everything is ruined, but there's hope."

Hear Rita Cary's conversation with WBUR's All Things Considered host Lisa Mullins above. Below are more excerpts from Rita's interview with Hutchison.

Headshot of Rita Cary

Rita Cary Announcer
Rita Cary was formerly a weekend announcer at WBUR. She came to public radio from Boston-area indie rock station WXRV.

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Headshot of Lisa Mullins

Lisa Mullins Host, All Things Considered
Lisa Mullins is the voice of WBUR’s All Things Considered. She anchors the program, conducts interviews and reports from the field.

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Headshot of Lynn Jolicoeur

Lynn Jolicoeur Producer/Reporter
Lynn Jolicoeur is the field producer for WBUR's All Things Considered. She also reports for the station's various local news broadcasts.

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