Dundee duo Fragile release what is their debut album – 22 years in the making – entitled ‘From Dens to Dalcraig 1998​-​2020’.

The project began in 1998 for Alex Botten and Peter Moug. Stemming from a plan to write five songs each and give to the other to record, “Peter recorded the versions of my songs but if I recorded his I can’t find the cassette,” Botten admits.

“22 years later I’ve finally finished my versions of Peter’s songs. There is an inevitable difference in sound between the older recordings and the new ones, but I hope you can look beyond that.”

The two were stalwarts of the Dundee indie scene of the 1990s, though Moug was part of late ’80s act The Wilderness Children (with future Geril and Magnetic North Pole drummer John Weir) which as well as supporting Dinosaur Jr, received some BBC airplay from John Peel.

Moug has also in The Wildhouse, Actor Scream, Moma, The New Pans People (again with John Weir plus future Magnetic North Pole member Ronnie Wallace), played keyboards and guitar with Gerils, formed a duo Peter & Susan, and released a variety of solo music on cassette.

Alex Botten has recorded music with even more acts / guises following Fragile – Bikeshed, Monoplane, Kosmiche, Maps of Jupiter, Lipsick!, DJ Wrong Homer, and perhaps most familiar to Scottish music fans, the aforementioned Magnetic North Pole as well as his ongoing umbrella project, Thee Moths. Most of these are available alongside the Fragile release at theealex.bandcamp.com and theemoths.bandcamp.com.

The 10 songs now form the album with odd-numbered tracks written by Alex Botten, but played entirely by Peter Moug, with the evens having the opposite credits. Track 10, written by Moug, is performed by both members.

The original acoustic demos are also available for compare-and-contrast purposes.