I’ve eagerly awaited the perfect moment to write about The Terminal Buildings, a solo home recording project out of Glasgow. This week, that opportunity presented itself with The Terminal Buildings releasing a greatest hits compilation of its initial years. The record opens a gateway to The Terminal Buildings’ prolific output – a mostly low-key personal project, with its artist releasing almost everything he records. “When I’ve completed a set of songs for an album or EP I find it difficult to leave out the less-good ones, especially if I’ve put any amount of work into them. I don’t have much of a quality filter,” confessed Finlay, the mastermind behind Terminal Buildings, whose last name remains unknown.
Coming to Terms With the Terminal Buildings: Best Ones 2021-2023 prioritizes quality over quantity. The 15-song compilation will undoubtedly be treasured by enthusiasts of discovering hidden gems in underground pop music. It is not far-fetched to include The Terminal Buildings among lo-fi modern power pop acts as 2nd Grade, Tony Molina and Mo Troper, while hints of Guided By Voices and Teenage Fanclub also shine through. Most songs are concise. yet brimming with timeless melodies. Songs like Struck Me Down, More like That and Lori Jean are just some of the highlights, and they are illustrations of why I am so excited about Finlay’s songwriting.
I asked Finlay about his decision-process in picking the songs for the compilation. He replied: “At the point I’m aware of which songs are my favourites, usually it’s the ones that were quickest to write that stick in my head. I tried to include a variety to give the compilation a collage feel, while also sticking to the most poppy and succinct tunes. So some of them are really rough and lofi and others are the most polished recordings I’ve ever done, but I like to think they’ve all got strong melodies. I also recently recorded acoustic versions of some of my songs, so revisiting them in that form made me think more about which were my personal favourites.”
I hope that this compilation marks a new step in the career of The Terminal Buildings, because the caliber of songwriting is exceedingly promising and deserving of recognition. Given that our platform focuses on sharing music worth exploring, let’s close this post with some recommendations by Finlay: “Codist, Lemon Drink, Peter Cat, I Wanna Be a Truck Driver, and Headcleaner are all Glasgow-based bands worth checking out. I’d especially like to mention Lane Goldman, whose live band I played in a few years ago, and who has recently released a new album called Coin – she is an incredible songwriter with unparalleled creative vision.”
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp