“We actually said it’s about time we get a bad review because it’s almost too good,” the band laughed. More importantly, all the praise has given them confidence that they are heading in the right direction. Coming from a country where rock and metal often struggle for mainstream attention, the international response has provided welcome validation. As they put it: “We’re actually doing some good stuff.”

One of the strengths of ‘Down In Flames’ lies in the variety of influences that shaped it. Rather than emerging from a single scene, Glasgow Kiss are a meeting point of wildly different backgrounds. The drummer earns his living playing country music, one guitarist comes from black metal, Charlotte considers herself a pop-rock vocalist, while the others bring hard rock and metal sensibilities into the mix. The result, they joked, is what happens when all those ingredients are thrown into a blender and “Glasgowfied.” Despite the stylistic diversity, one rule remains sacred: the song itself has to stand on its own. “It’s easy to cover up a half-good song with a lot of distortion.”

For Glasgow Kiss, every song should work stripped down to an acoustic guitar before any heavier layers are added. Melody comes first. That philosophy extended into the production process as well. Instead of turning to established metal producers, the band deliberately challenged collaborators from outside the genre. Drum recording was entrusted to a country producer, while mixing and mastering duties went to Peter Michelsen, whose background lies largely in synth-pop. By forcing everyone involved to start from scratch, Glasgow Kiss believe they developed something much more authentic. “We like the organic sound. Not over-processed. Not over-produced. The real sound.”

Maintaining balance between accessibility and heaviness proved especially important throughout mixing. The band revealed that “One Last Time” became the most difficult track to finish. Initially pushed in a heavier direction, they eventually realised the emotional core demanded restraint, removing elements and allowing space for clean guitars and Charlotte‘s voice. After nine mixes, they finally found what they were searching for. That song also carries perhaps the most personal story on the album. Charlotte explained that “One Last Time” was written for one of her best friends who died from cancer, making it emotionally difficult to revisit. “It’s written to one of my best friends who died from cancer. So it’s very emotional for me.” The rest of the band understood immediately that the music had to honour those lyrics. “It had to be handled with respect.”

Interestingly, another song followed the opposite trajectory. Charlotte confessed that she actually hated “Down In Flames” when she first heard the instrumental. “I felt it was too dark and too slow.” Yet over time the song grew on her and eventually became both the album title and one of the band’s favourites. For the rest of the group, that process is proof that sometimes the most rewarding music isn’t necessarily love at first listen.

“Isn’t that the best music? The one that you don’t love at the first listening and it grows on you?”

A similar story surrounds “Those Wasted Years”. The song was almost discarded altogether until Charlotte arrived with lyrics and vocal lines, written while recording in the studio itself. Suddenly, everyone realised they had a single on their hands.

As positive reviews continue to arrive, Glasgow Kiss feel they have finally discovered who they are. Earlier material explored darker tunings, but they realised Charlotte‘s bright voice sat too far above the instrumentation. Raising the tuning helped everything click together. “Things were glued together.” Armed with that newfound confidence, the band intends to continue down the same path. New songs are already taking shape, while discussions about festivals and live opportunities are ongoing. They are also considering introducing a cover song into their sets to give first-time audiences a familiar anchor amidst the many original songs.

Perhaps the most moving part of the conversation came when discussing the purpose of their music. Charlotte revealed that songwriting serves as a form of therapy in dealing with anxiety and depression. “I use it as self-therapy because of my struggle with anxiety and depression.” Ultimately, Glasgow Kiss hope listeners find pieces of themselves inside the songs. “Maybe they can relate.”

They don’t want to be a band people hear once and forget. They hope the music creates feelings, finds a place on playlists and becomes something listeners return to time and time again.

And if Finland’s festival organisers happen to be paying attention, the message from Bergen was crystal clear:

“We would love to come to Finland and play.”

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