Glasgow’s Uninvited have revealed their evocative new single ‘But What If I’m James Dean Instead?’ The track marks their first collaboration with Final Girl Records, a US-based women-led record label and events collective serving women, trans and non-binary artists. The track is a gripping exploration of obsession, betrayal, and the addictive pull of toxic love. With gritty lyricism and visceral emotion, ‘James Dean’ captures the turbulence of wanting someone you know is bad for you.
Set against moody production and a haunting yet impactful vocal delivery, Uninvited channel the tragic allure of the song’s namesake — the late cultural icon James Dean — as a metaphor for emotional danger and reckless beauty. “This song is about the kind of love that hurts more than it heals, but you can’t tear yourself away,” say Uninvited. “It’s about being stuck in the cycle.” Despite recognising flaws and longing for someone that causes pain, there’s still that feeling of being unable to break free from an intense physical connection and feeling abandoned and emotionally vulnerable. The lyrics portray a desperate struggle between the desire to forget and leave, and the undeniable pull of a damaging attachment.
Winning the BBC Live Lounge competition, beating over 4000 applicants in 2022, Uninvited have gone on to become one of the most exciting up and coming bands in the UK rock scene. Having toured with artists such as Nova Twins, Crawlers, The Snuts, Røry and The Buoys, they have caught the attention of many artists and fans around the world. They released their debut EP ‘I Feel A Bit Weird’ in 2023, which garnered the attention of two-time Grammy award winning producer Adrian Bushby, who they recorded a clutch of tracks with in 2024. They also collabed with punk band Gen and the Degenerates on the fervent track “Girls!” last year.
Since their inception, Uninvited have played iconic festivals such as Reading and Leeds, 2000 Trees and TRNSMT to name a few and are set to take on Edinburgh’s famous O2 Academy in September with Frank Turner, as well as Burn It Down festival in the summer. See below for all dates.
Uninvited are fiercely queer and unapologetically loud. “We want to break down walls around gender identity and expression, especially for our younger fans who use music to express themselves. We write with raw emotion and are not scared to be vulnerable.” Uninvited are always striving to break barriers in the rock scene and make room for more female and non-binary artists to be heard.
See Uninvited live:
29 Aug Burn It Down Festival
14 Sept Final Girl Records presents: Uninvited, Shortstraw. + more
Shacklewell Arms, London
27 Sept O2 Academy, Edinburgh (supporting Frank Turner)
Uninvited are:
Alex Young (they/them): Lead Guitar
Jay Dhlakama (they/them): Second Guitar
Taylor Ray Dillon (she/they): Bass & vocals
Fiorenza Cocozza (she/her): Drums
Connect with Uninvited here
