Some songs work best when sung on the terraces, others when pumped into a darkened room amid strobing lights and soggy dancefloors. '678' works best in the quiet with your undivided attention, as the hopes and fears of one man are laid bare before you – void of ego, free of pretence.

Delivered in an accent as thick as that of Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffat, the newest song to be lifted from KC Rules OK - King Creosote’s third 'proper' album if you discount the twenty or so CD-R releases the Fife songsmith made before being snapped up by Domino - is a humble, modest reflection of his inner workings, like the Reindeer Section coerced into confession. "I never was going to be dressing up slick, but at the back of my mind I was always hoping I might just get by", run the unashamedly honest lyrics over piano, organ and acoustic guitars, woven into the warm-sounding rhythm section. The sweeping, grand nature of the instrumentation makes Creosote sound even smaller in his introspection, as quiet harmonies soften the edges.

'678' is as well-crafted a song as any of the big-selling acts will offer you this year. Refreshingly self-aware and heart-warmingly beautiful both lyrically and sonically, it sits you down and engages with you one-on-one instead of preaching from a lofty stage, and ultimately serves to highlight King Creosote's presence at the forefront of today's folk scene. Not that he’d admit to it, naturally.