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

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.