• Premiere: Galants – Follow

    September 20, 2018 - By 

    Of the countless Irish acts we’ve featured over the years, Dublin’s Galants remain one of the most assured. Striking a midpoint between swirling indie rock and blissed-out shoegaze worship, the David Kennedy-fronted quartet re-emerged back in June with ‘In Vain‘. Now, the band with another track from their forthcoming second EP – and one of their most emphatic efforts to date – ‘Follow’. Successfully capturing the band’s aim to meld the power pop of Hüsker Dü with the fuzzy miasma of Swervedriver and Catherine Wheel, the single “reflects on the psyche of the crowd and pressure to use the decisions of others as a…

  • Watch: Galants – In Vain

    June 4, 2018 - By 

    In case you haven’t gathered, we’re big fans of Dublin shoegaze/dream-pop band Galants. So much so, that we ranked their self-titled EP as one of our favourites of 2017. Now, the four-piece have returned with their new single ‘In Vain’, lifted from their forthcoming second EP Follow. Set for release in Autumn via Zen Ten records, the new EP was partly recorded in a north Dublin attic before being placed in the capable hands of producer Dan Doherty at Darklands Audio. The track is a typically bright, emotive number from the group which takes “a sonic cue from from Ride and The…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 15 Irish EPs of 2017

    December 22, 2017 - By 

    Looking back at the sheer breath and wealth of EPs that were released from artists across the country this year made us giddy with joy and excitement. The boundless evolution of style, diversity, experimentation and confidence on display in 2017 was as momentous as we had ever seen or heard and, as such, narrowing this list down to 15 was no easy task. The following is a list of artists who we felt pushed themselves to new, ambitious heights and creative territories this year, who delivered both on record and in live settings and who proudly represented the fecund growth…

  • EP Stream: Galants – Galants

    May 19, 2017 - By 

    In case you missed the memo: Dublin noise-pop quartet Galants rule. Evoking the varyingly shaded, feedback-soaked lulls and barrages of Dinosaur Jr., Teenage Fanclub, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Swervedriver and Yo La Tengo, the band have caught our attention on numerous occasions of the last couple of years. Something of a feature-length culmination of this particular phase in the journey to date, their self-titled EP – which sees David Kennedy, James McDonald, Colin O’Dwyer and Ruairi Paxton concoct some real magic over four tracks – has now been release on 10″ via UK imprint Zen Ten. Delve in below. Galants by Galants

  • EP Stream: Galants – Galants

    November 21, 2016 - By 

    There’s something profoundly excellent about seeing a band wear their influences on their sleeve with a level of musicianship and a forward-thinking mentality that doesn’t yield to straight-up imitation. Dublin noise-pop Galants comfortably slot into that bracket – a fact very impressively underscored on their debut self-titled EP. Set for release on November 25 via US imprint Jigsaw Records, the four-track release – which masterfully tips its hat to the holy triptych, Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr and My Bloody Valentine – was recorded with Stephen Dunne at Lamplight Studios and mastered by Fergal Davis. Galants launch the EP at Whelan’s in Dublin on December 3.…

  • Track Record: Ruairi Paxton (Galants)

    October 17, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of Track Record, Ruairi Paxton from Dublin noise-pop band Galants lets us into his homestead to have a flick through some of his all-time favourite records, including Guided By Voices, Thee Oh Sees and Galaxie 500. Photos by Pedro Giaquinto. Guided By Voices – Bee Thousand There was a phase between 2006 – 2008 when I was obsessed with this band. There is a documentary called Watch Me Jump Start about GBV. I must have watched it 100 times. I just love this early 90’s lo-fi period. I eventually gave the DVD to a friend Patrick…

  • Premiere: Galants – Evergreen

    September 28, 2016 - By 

    Dublin noise-pop quartet Galants are a band that proudly – and very impressively – wear their influences on their collective sleeve. Forging the fuzzed-out, forward-moving indie rock of Dinosaur Jr. and early Yo La Tengo with the nebulous ‘gaze of My Bloody Valentine and tight, Byrds-influenced harmonies of Teenage Fanclub, their sound is unabashed hero worship but with more than enough deviation and departure to make it all their own. The first track from their forthcoming debut EP, ‘Evergreen’ is a perfect case in point. Have an exclusive first listen to that below and make sure to catch the guys at Dublin’s The Workman’s Club on Saturday, October 8…

  • Stream: Galants – Out of Sight

    September 24, 2015 - By 

    It comes as no surprise that the five artists listed under the “influences” section of Dublin noise-pop band Galants‘ Facebook page read as a veritable “who’s who” of the genre’s exalted heyday. Evoking the varyingly shimmering, feedback-soaked lulls and barrages of the aforesaid imperial quintet – Dinosaur Jr., Teenage Fanclub, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Swervedriver and Yo La Tengo – their new single ‘Out of Sight’ presents a fleecy levee of fuzz with perfectly languid vocals, throwing back and looking forward in wonderfully realised unison. Throw in Connor Walls’ guest guitar solo – knowingly reminiscent of Lord J Mascis’s more intent-drenched lead forays – and you are very…

  • Premiere: Galants – This is Heaven

    July 6, 2015 - By 

    Recalling heavily the reverb-soaked bombast of the Creation Records roster, GALANTS, the brainchild of Dublin man David Kennedy, have unveiled the first part of a triptych of summer singles in the washed-out tumult of ‘This is Heaven’, a hefty beast of a broadside that sets the tone nicely for their upcoming output. Featuring artwork by Barry White, the new single comes at the start of a spate of Irish dates, including the Workman’s in Dublin on August 2nd, and on the 8th at Cyprus Avenue in Cork, in support of local indie-pop power-trio HAGS. Stream the new single exclusively in the…