The Scottish Enlightenment are a Scottish indie and post-rock group that forms in Fife in 2004. The band starts as a four-piece and goes through several line-up changes before settling again as a four-piece, although live performances often include extra musicians.

Early releases and Moojuice Records

From early in their career, the group is involved with the Moojuice Records collective, a Fife-based group of musicians and producers. Their first release is Volo ut Sis, a seven-track mini-album issued on Moojuice in a limited run of 120 copies. Three tracks from that release later appear on their second release, the Eyes EP.

“Eyes” and wider exposure

The Eyes EP appears in April 2007. The title track reflects a mix of British influences such as Idlewild and Arab Strap, and American influences including Pavement and Built to Spill. “Eyes” is played on Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and XFM, while its video reaches MTV2’s 120 Minutes and The Indie Mixtape, giving the band exposure across Europe.

Later releases

The band plans a full-length album for 2009, reflecting a slower and more reverberant sound that develops after the Eyes EP. Three songs from that album appear in December 2009, while the full record follows nearly a year later as the group completes a new batch of songs. In May 2010 they issue the limited-edition Pascal EP, which sells out within months and receives critical attention from the Scottish indie blogosphere. Later in 2010 they release the Little Sleep EP, and in November 2010 their first full-length studio album, St Thomas, is released on Armellodie Records.