GALLUS DESCEND INTO MADNESS ON BRAND NEW EP ‘COOL TO DRIVE’
EP REVIEW | GALLUS – COOL TO DRIVE by Anne Kelly
Two years since the release of their debut album We Don’t Like The People We’ve Become, Glasgow’s best kept live secret, Gallus, share their brand new EP Cool To Drive.
16 minutes of unhinged noise, Cool To Drive is five back to back belters, all punching just as hard or harder than the last. There’s no respite, no sentimental ballads, just heavy hitting punk rock all wrapped up in charming Glaswegian wit. Opening with the title track ‘Cool To Drive’, there’s no turning back from this auditory commitment now, you’re hooked and ready for the ride.
“I love my wife, and I love my dog. But I’m no saint, I’m in the shed drinking dulux paint”
‘Cool To Drive’ is a (semi) fictitious story of self destruction which unravels further every verse to full blown madness: “I crashed the car, I robbed the Spar. My friend for life, I fucked his wife”. The lyrics continue to spiral as the beat keeps accelerating, more intense by the second before crashing out. This is classic Gallus, just when you think it can’t get any more chaotic, it does and it continues to hit until the very last breath.
‘Depressed Beyond Tablets’ was the first single teased from this latest project and initially I wasn’t completely sold on this poppier, punk direction of Gallus. However, after hearing ‘Cool To Drive’ and considering the EP as a whole, it fits seamlessly into the collection. The song delves deeper into themes of depression and madness, which forms a juxtaposition with its catchy pop punk melody, leaving a strikingly ironic effect as a result.
What I love most about Gallus is the theatrics in frontman Barry Dolan’s manic delivery. Whilst the lyrics may be exaggerated versions of themselves, Barry becomes the main character every time, forgoing all sense of sanity in his transformation. Guitarist Eamon Ewins says, “That decision was never conscious but plays to Barry’s strengths as a former actor. The character-driven nature of it makes the EP almost feel like a mini-series.”
The half way point delivers ‘Perfect Health’. “If there’s one thing I need, It’s power, precision and speed”; the quest for the perfect physique, ‘Perfect Health’ serves as a satirical first person commentary on the vanity-driven capitalist culture, infused with Gallus’ signature irony. Maintaining the style of the rest of the EP, there are echoes of The Offspring at points creeping in – albeit a more Glaswegian version.
‘Just Desserts’ is the band’s last release before the EP reveal and it welcomes elements of rap, crying nu-metals nostalgia or even Sum 41‘s heyday (Fat Lip, In Too Deep). On the origin of the track Barry says:
“The title is taken from a fictitious band Eamon used to tweet about, giving updates about the various reasons they’ve had to pull out of all-day festivals and zine launch parties etc; a kind of aspirational, pretentious post-punk band whose failings were usually caused by their highly middle-class problems.”
Reflecting on their own experiences, he continues; “we wanted to highlight the tediousness of the music industry as one becomes ‘neck deep in their twenties.’ We believe today’s concept of “new sleaze for the 20s” will face trial like the indie-sleaze era of the early 2000s; it’s a perpetual cycle, and we’ve ‘seen it all before, and no one asked for more.’ We wanted to distil all the most unlikable elements of the bands we’ve encountered, the music industry, and ourselves into Just Desserts to poke fun at the whole game.”
This entire narrative is what makes Gallus and their peers so refreshing on the scene. They take real issues but inject their satirical Scottish humour to make clinical depression feel like big ol’ party.
But, you don’t need to be Scottish to appreciate Gallus’ music. Bursting with big riffs, dirty licks, crashing beats and explosive energy, this love language is universal. In the final track ‘It Bit’ Gallus takes a bold step into even heavier territory, embracing a grittier rock ‘n’ roll sound. “I bark I don’t bite, All fart and no shite, All I am is all talk no fight”; ‘It Bit’ is about feeling like a fraud but actually kinda liking it that way. It’s not big, nor is it particularly clever, but it is honest and it is raw and it’s dripping with punk personality.
“We’re leaning much further into the punk end of the spectrum, and it feels very natural to us,” comments guitarist Eamon Ewins. “The energy in our live performances has always been there, but we feel that with this EP, our music is at its most visceral and raw.”
As somebody who has – on many occasions – experienced the Gallus live show – I couldn’t agree anymore with that observation. It was seeing the band perform to a room full of people where I first encountered Gallus and they stood out more than any other band I saw that day. Cool To Drive is a sharp representation of the Gallus you see on stage and I can’t urge you enough to get out to experience the show yourself.
Gallus are taking their raucous live show across the UK and into Europe this month with most dates about to reach a sell out – https://linktr.ee/gallustour
Pick up a copy of Cool To Drive HERE
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