Jay Messerli of The Souls

Today we are joined by Jay Messerli, lead singer of the Swiss Indie band The Souls, who are currently supporting Scouting For Girls in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland

The Souls are an alternative rock band from Switzerland whose explosive live energy and polished song writing have taken them from European club stages to international tours across the USA and Asia.

With over 450 shows worldwide, the band have built a reputation as a formidable live act and a powerful modern rock band with global ambition. Formed in 2010, the five-piece quickly gained international attention, leading to support tours with Lenny Kravitz, The 1975 and Kodaline — placing them early on the radar as a band with serious crossover potential.

Their debut album Eyes Closed, produced in Los Angeles by Greg Collins (U2, No Doubt), launched them onto the international stage, followed by extensive touring across Europe, the UK, the USA and Asia. Festival appearances at Reeperbahn Festival (Hamburg) and Music Matters (Singapore) further cemented their international credentials, alongside recording sessions at London’s legendary Eastcote Studios.

Their fourth studio album The Whippet Inn, recorded in London with Andy Wright (Simply Red, Eurythmics) and Gavin Goldberg, will be released on 20 February 2026. The album marks a bold new chapter for the band — blending arena-ready hooks, raw alternative edge and cinematic production — and firmly positions The Souls as a breakout international rock act for 2026. With their biggest release to date and an aggressive international touring strategy, The Souls arrive in the UK ready to make serious noise.

The album The Whippet Inn was created in London in spring 2023. Inspired by time spent in the pub of the same name and recorded live as a band at Eastcote Studios, the sessions marked a conscious turning point for The Souls. After two self-produced albums, the band felt the need to open up again and allow space for external mu sical influence. Working closely with producers Andy Wright (Simple Minds, Simply Red) and Gavin Gold berg (Neil Young, KT Tunstall) well before the recordings began, it quickly became clear that this producer duo could fully realise the band’s creative vision. The Souls deliberately abandoned perfectionism, recording the songs live in one room to preserve raw energy and genuine emotion. Lyrically, the album moves between social commentary, desire, secrets and fractured relationships. It follows no rigid concept, but rather what felt honest in the moment — a direct and hopeful record about chaos, intimacy and distance, and the urge to lay everything bare. The first single “Bangladesh” unfolds like a fever dream driven by longing — an escape to a place where reality and fantasy blur and desire takes on a shape of its own. It serves as a musical distillation of the album: raw, im mediate and real. At the heart of “Nightingale” lies the question of whether it is better to embrace change or remain within the comfort zone of familiar routines — a dilemma we repeatedly face throughout life. For the band, Nightingale rep resents the act of savouring every moment, even when we know it is fleeting and cannot last forever.

Interview recorded in March 2026