Liverpool-based queer indie rock project Trial Tapes, the alias of songwriter and producer Jack McNally, is delighted to reveal details of his forthcoming debut EP 5 Notes, set for release 5th May 2026 on limited edition cassette and digital formats.
To celebrate the news, new single ‘Leopard Print Skulls’ is released 3rd March 2026 via all good digital service providers.
Alongside the new single, Trial Tapes has just been announced to support Not Richard & Her Majesty in Brighton this March, and appear at FOCUS Wales 2026 in May 2026, with further live dates TBA (see below for listings).
Commenting on the track, McNally says: “Leopard Print Skulls is an ode to the first man who loved me back. We had matching tattoos (Leopard Print Skulls), a dog, a shared wardrobe and no home within 5 minutes of knowing each other. I see Leopard Print Skulls as a dreamy take on embracing a precarious future with a few spiky moments peppered in for self preservation.”
Returning to Liverpool after over a decade in Brighton, newly out of the closet and starting from scratch, McNally began writing songs as a way to process his new world. What began as a cathartic experiment in self-affirmation soon evolved into an obsessive daily ritual; birthing the genre-blurring sound of Trial Tapes.
This debut collection captures a raw and intimate period of radical self-reinvention for McNally, marking his return to music after nearly a decade of silence, with the core theme of the record being his late coming out story and reconciliation of hetero/homo-normativity.
Co-produced and mixed by close friend Chris Hendrick (Winterquilt Audio), McNally recorded every instrument on the 5 Notes EP at home using his DIY setup, with the exception of drums which were laid down remotely by Bill Burns in his home studio down in London, and the influence of Rich Fownes (Not Richard & Her Majesty, ex-80s Matchbox) who also gets a production credit on ‘42’.
Across the five tracks McNally fuses elements of scuzzy indie rock, lo-fi synth-pop, and artful storytelling, with influences ranging from Kim Deal and Jai Paul to T. Rex, Courtney Barnett, and queer duo Man on Man, all reinterpreted through a uniquely personal, kitchen-sink lens.
Trial Tapes closed out 2025 with appearances at La Violette Società 59 alongside Rosy Carrick, The Rossettis, and Psychederek, and Hooton Tennis Club’s annual New Years Eve Hootonanny performing with Beija Flo and Novelty Island, most recently supporting Wavves in February 2026.
Trial Tapes’ debut EP 5 Notes is released 5th May 2026
Live Dates:
- 18 Mar - London - Piehouse Co-Op
- 24 Mar - Brighton (w/ Not Richard & Her Majesty)
- 8 May - Wrexham - FOCUS Wales