Young Fathers reflect on the decade since they won the Mercury Prize Award in 2014

Young Fathers won their first Mercury Prize Award in 2014 for their debut album, Dead, making them the first Scottish band to have that achievement. Following the February release of their fourth studio album, Heavy Heavy, the trio have been shortlisted once again.

G Hastings says that being recognised once more, "dispels any worries about being a flash in the pan". Considering they formed in 2008, and took six years to release their debut album, Young Fathers know the importance of time when wanting to create something with longevity.

"We've never been an overnight success, and so for us, it's always gonna be a long path, and a slow kind of accumulation," he continues. "It's about people hearing about us in different ways, and this is once of them."

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Reflecting on the decade since they won their first Mercury Prize, Young Fathers put it simply: "a lot has changed".

"When we first got together, we were at the kind of age where we saw the back end of what the old music industry looked like, and we've been making our way through the drastic changes that have happened," Alloysious Massaquoi explains.

"We just want to do what we want to make, and get it out to people how we envisioned it without A&R people telling us what to do," he adds. "This record was just the three of us – no-one else was in the room. It was a test for us because we hadn't worked like that since we met, when we were 14/15, but it worked out, so we're happy with it."

Young Fathers explain that the best part about making Heavy Heavy was seeing it get finished. Massaquoi says that the real work kicks in then, because you have to start working on artwork and other ideas. "You're turning something into a real thing, something that's tangible. You've had all these ideas in your head and you get into the studio to record, and now there's something solid and really tangible. That's the magic – that's art."

Kayus Bankole agrees with this sentiment: "Getting into the studio – the three of us again – that's the exciting part for me. That's where all the magic happens, when we put all our ideas together and make a record with all the turbulences and what-not. It's like you find the core thing that brought us together."