It’s been a while – too long – since we last heard from Galway’s Field Trip. And while we’ll get into the hows and whys of that shortly, the return alone is cause enough for celebration.
Today, we’re pleased to premiere ‘I Get Down’, a textbook harmony-laced gem that reaffirms just why the triom became one of the country’s most quietly beloved garage-pop bands. Taken from their long-awaited debut LP, Foreign Land, it’s a track that reaches gently into the past and brings something timeless back with it: bittersweet, impossibly earworming jangle-pop.
Formed in Galway and fondly remembered for a run of starry-eyed shows across Irish venues and festivals including Electric Picnic and Body & Soul, Field Trip’s music always managed to distil a certain kind of fleeting magic: melodic as hell, warm in tone and just ever so slightly wistful in feeling.
‘I Get Down’ is no exception to the rule. It arrives with a beautifully directed video by drummer Paul Casserly – his debut effort behind the lens – and it’s a truly heartwarming accompaniment: filled with familiar spots, an adorable dog, and the band’s wonderfully just-out-of-reach sense of longing. Shot with subtle flair, it’s as thoughtful and unassuming as the song it brings to life.
That sense of nostalgia – of old friends, houses once shared and weekends that stretched out forever – ripples across Foreign Land, which the band recorded back in the summer of 2018, in a primary school classroom and a house on Sandy Road. The album may have spent years on the shelf while members emigrated and moved on with life, but it holds together like a snapshot of youth before it slips away.
Speaking on the release, the band reflect: “The songs are reflective of the people we no longer are… moved on, grown up and matured. These songs could not be written by us today.” And yet, somehow, their resonance now feels even more potent.
Field Trip return to the stage with a hometown show at Galway’s Mechanics Institute on April 19th, where Foreign Land will finally be shared in full. Expect it to be one of the most special gigs of the spring. Tickets here.
Until then, have a first look at ‘I Get Down’ below. It’s lovely to have them back.
