The Snuts talk confronting mental health on ‘Joy In Short Moments’: “Music is more than just heartbreak”

As they release their fourth album ‘Joy In Short Moments’, The Snuts have spoken to NME about how time away from touring led to them confronting some of life’s toughest questions and raising more awareness for mental health. READ MORE: The Snuts – ‘Millennials’ review: high-energy guitar anthems for the good times The first new album from the indie Scots since 2024’s feel-good ‘Millenials’ back in 2024, the record arrives after they took some rare downtime from touring over the past year, with frontman Jack Cochrane also welcoming his first child. As well as adjusting to life as a father, the singer found himself confronting some of the existential questions that an intensive touring cycle usually kept at bay. These themes – including adulthood, loss and the true meaning of success – bled into his songwriting process and ultimately became the crux of their grounded new LP. We first got a taster of the record at the start of the year with ‘Summer Rain’, a touching single that tackled themes of postnatal depression and “fear of the future”. Over the summer they followed it up with the more uplifting ‘Defibrillator’, which called for people to escape their self-judgemental thoughts and instead seek connection with those around them. The Snuts, 2026. CREDIT: Sam McGill “By taking a conscious break from life on the road and making records, my world opened up to let so much more of the real world in,” Cochrane told NME about how things changed for album four. “For the first time I was living then writing, not writing while trying to live.” “It unlocked a new process that the band had been crying out for,” he added. “The studio sessions were set up to allow us to be friends and not colleagues. Distraction and external pressures were completely eradicated from the recording environment, allowing us to trust our gut and have the conversations we needed to as humans.” Check out the rest of our interview with Cochrane below, where he also opens up about becoming an ambassador for mental health charity CALM, and launching a podcast to get artists talking more openly about their struggles.Recommended NME: Hi Jack, congratulations on the new album. You’ve said that this record was about addressing the topics that you previously tried to hide from. What kinds of questions did you find yourself confronting? Jack Cochrane: “I would say mainly, ‘What do I need to be happy?’… Eeek! It’s a big one I know, but having set out with the title ‘Joy In Short Moments’, I was able to spend my time searching for them and allow joy to do what joy does: compound and relieve the stresses of the modern world.” That’s not the easiest question to find yourself confronting. Did you manage to find any answers along the way? “Ultimately yes. With the completion of this record I was able to find a much happier healthier version of myself I had been so long yearning for.” The album sees you deal with new themes, but musically we also see you return to the guitar-led sound from your early days. Did revisiting those roots make you notice how much has changed since you were starting out? “For sure. We were able to remove any snobbery from the process. We’re no longer new kids on the block and with that came a new found ability to be really honest about the kind of noises we wanted to make and the type of artists that had originally inspired us.” The Snuts ‘Joy In Short Moments’ artwork. CREDIT: Press This album goes hand in hand with you becoming an ambassador for CALM and launching your own podcast dedicated to checking in with fellow artists. Why was it important for you to get involved in the conversation about mental health? “I think conversations and role models are absolutely essential for young people. I wanted to have more and do my best to be one. Every song on this record was born out of unfiltered, open and honest conversation.” From talking to people on your podcast, including Louis Tomlinson, and using your platform to open up this dialogue, is there anything interesting that you’ve noticed? “I think that more often than not, young men are finding it difficult to combat the struggles they are facing in this modern world. To me it feels like there are less and less spaces and opportunities to have meaningful, healing conversations…” Having had those conversations yourself and explored them on the album, it must be somewhat daunting to now put it out into the world. Is there something that you hope people take from it? “I’d like people to feel less alone after hearing the record and the themes intertwined with it. I think music is more than just heartbreak and I hoped in the writing of this record I would be able to highlight some more universally relevant topics.” You have your headline tour coming up next month. What can we expect from the shows? “Big smiles and big sound all round! It will be the most self assured Snuts tour to date.” ‘Life In Short Moments’ is out now Happy Artist Records in partnership with Virgin Music Group. Their UK and Ireland tour kicks off next month with an opening night in Dundee. Visit here for tickets and check out a list of tour dates below. NOVEMBER 2026 19 – Dundee, Livehouse 20 – Aberdeen, Beach Ballroom 21 – Edinburgh, Corn Exchange 23 – Dunfermline, Alhambra Theatre 24 – Newcastle, O2 City Hall 26 – Sheffield, Octagon Centre 27 – Nottingham, Rock City 29 – Norwich, UEA 30 – Hull, City Hall DECEMBER 2026 1 – Bristol, Prospect Hall 3 – Leeds, O2 Academy 4 – Manchester, O2 Victoria Warehouse 8 – Birmingham, O2 Academy 9 – Portsmouth, Guildhall 10 – London, O2 Academy Brixton JANUARY 2027 26 – Belfast, Limelight 27 – Galway, Róisín Dubh 28 – Dublin, Academy For help and advice on mental health: CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians (CALL MUSIC MINDS MATTER ON: 0808 802 8008) Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues (CALL: 0800 030 6789) YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing Time To Change – Let’s end mental health discrimination The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day “Am I depressed?” – Help and advice on mental health and what to do next MITC – A collective of musician industry therapists TONIC Rider – Bespoke training and support for music industry professionals Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues