Just a few days ago, we openly admitted our deep love for Constant Follower and their latest album.
Clearly (though we had no doubt), we’re not alone!
This morning, the news broke that Constant Follower’s album The Smile You Send Out Returns To You (released by Last Night From Glasgow in February of this year) has been longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award (SAY Award).
To celebrate this milestone, Constant Follower are releasing a new video from the album. It was directed by Martin J Pickering, and accompanies the album track Happy Birthdays.
And, perhaps because of our lifelong love for them, Constant Follower have chosen TRISTE© to present the world premiere of this amazing and moving video.
We are flattered and thrilled.

What McAll says: “Happy Birthdays sits at the heart of The Smile You Send Out Returns To You. It is about the quiet grief of separation. The kind that comes when a room still holds the shape of a child, or a loved one, who is not there. I sing about standing in her room, her things where she left them, trying to close the door but finding the reminders everywhere. Martin’s film holds to that truth. Annie carries us through her birthday party and the gaps she feels even in the crowd. We cut to her dad alone at home. The small things carry weight. A toilet roll turned the right way. A little marble with a painted heart. We made this as old friends. Martin knows how to leave space and let a song breathe. Annie brings a clear, honest presence. Nicholas Clarke gives the father a quiet dignity. For a moment, as Kurd’s guitar soars, father and daughter meet in joy. Then silence returns. He finds the marble in his shoe, a nod to our song Little Marble, and you see both ache and joy at once. It feels right to share this now, as the SAY Award longlist is announced. A story of care, distance, and the ties that hold. It’s an honour to be longlisted again, alongside such beautiful work as Kathryn Joseph’s. This year feels especially important. It may be the last where we can say with certainty that every song was written by human hands. The future of music is shifting in ways bleaker than many yet grasp. But there is hope. For now, we celebrate the songs, the records, the people who made them, and the fragile human thread that runs through it all.“

What Martin J Pickering says: “Growing up with Stephen (McAll) means I’ve always had a sense of how his mind works. When I make films for his songs I can draw on that history to bring them to life in a way that feels true to him. That has always been my goal. With Happy Birthdays I needed to lean on him more directly. I’ve never known the pain of being apart from my daughter on her birthday, so I had to listen closely as he told me what the song meant. We sat together, listened, and I cried. Out of that came the shape of the film. With Annie, my daughter, stepping into the lead, and Nicholas Clarke as the father, we were able to capture something rare. It is not just performance, it is the bond between a father and a daughter, fragile and irreplaceable. That is what gives the film its truth.“

Constant Follower’s upcoming gigs:

27 OCT Birmingham, The Sunflower Lounge
28 OCT London, The Water Rats
29 OCT Manchester, Gullivers
07 FEB Kilmarnock, Centre Stage
28 FEB Stirling, Tolbooth
12 MAR Barnard Castle, The Witham
13 MAR Saltaire, The Live Room
14 MAR Morecambe, More Music
15 MAR Settle, Victoria Hall

The Smile You Send Out Returns To You was released in February 2025 via Last Night From Glasgow. The SAY AWARD ceremony will take place at Caird Hall in Dundee on 6th November. Look HERE for more information on Constant Follower. Look HERE for more information on Martin J Pickering.