In 2025, Stephen McCafferty released a string of impressive singles. The best of the bunch, ‘I Only Want To Hear Sad Songs’ shared a strong pop rock sound that hinted at a love of The Killers but added a distinctive Scottish accent, while ‘I Am The Buffalo’ took a similar sense of the melodic and added a light folky touch. ‘Rubber Glove’ leant a little further into an indie pop sound, but with the help of a buoyant melody and hooky lead guitar part, created another number that really helped to give the performer’s debut LP ‘Monsters and Lullabies’ a strong musical backbone.

After such a busy year, Stephen stepped away from the spotlight in the early part of 2026, but has now returned with a new single ‘Debt Collector’. From the opening bars, its immediately clear that this number takes a different approach to a lot of his prior recordings, but artists need to move forward to keep things fresh. The mid tempo beat and chopping acoustic guitar that fill the number’s verses creates something that feels quite removed from the previous album’s tracks, while a high energy chorus really taps into the folkier influences that lurked beneath the surface of Stephen’s earlier, well crafted pop-rock songs.

This takes folk sounds into a very commercial place, but the use of harmony vocals and uptempo elements work brilliantly, and a couple of plays will unveil the kind of track that leaves a strong impression. Looking beyond the folky elements, you’ll still find a ringing electric guitar which calls back to the likes of ‘I Am The Buffalo’, helping ‘Debt Collector’ feel like a natural step forward. With this track, Stephen continues to make his mark on the UK scene, and could even secure new fans.

Take a listen below.