Scottish producer CAIN opens a new chapter with Morrigan, the first single from his debut album Lineage, out June 19 via Fine Grains Records. Best known for blending traditional Celtic music with electronic sounds, CAIN brings together a powerful mix of pipes, percussion, and vocals in a track that feels both grounded in the past and firmly rooted in the present. Featuring Highland folk singer Katie Mackenzie, as well as Brighde Chaimbeul on Scottish small pipes and James Mackenzie on flute, Morrigan builds on the emotional and rhythmic depth of his earlier EPs while pushing into more personal territory.
The track starts slowly, with Katie Mackenzie’s voice standing alone over soft organ chords — almost like a lullaby — before shifting into something much heavier. Layers of percussion and low-end tension crash in, showing off CAIN’s skill for contrast and build-up. It’s a bold opening for a debut album, but also a fitting one: Lineage is about more than just sound. It’s about the connection between generations, genres, and landscapes. Much of the album was recorded between Edinburgh and the Isle of Lewis, using real folk instruments and voices to tell a story that feels lived-in and real.
There’s strength in this music; raw, honest, and full of feeling. Morrigan doesn’t just reference tradition; it pushes it forward. CAIN isn’t here to recreate old songs; he’s reworking them into something new, using the sounds he grew up with as building blocks for something personal and modern. You can feel the history, but you can also feel the risk. With support from names like Ben UFO, Peggy Gou, and Gilles Peterson, CAIN is clearly onto something. Morrigan is a strong first look at an album that promises to blend the old and the new in a way that feels meaningful, exciting, and totally his own.
