Like many of us, it´s been a while since I´ve enjoyed the open road and the thrill of travel. Nothing made me feel this more keenly than the arrival of the new single from Blown Away By Giants. "Somewhere in the Forest" is their anthem for adventure and never have my feet been itchier.

Blow Away By Giants are Northern Irish songwriters, Chris McGuiness and Jordi Shelvin. This is their second single and it expresses perfectly the Zeitgeist of young adulthood, from Gap Year to #vanlife. A celebration of exploration and self discovery. It is also the perfect soundtrack for your Instagram travel montage or GoPro footage. Thankfully, despite entering what is often tacky territory, the guys have stayed just the right side of the YOLO line.

Opening with a buzzing wave of 90´s psychedelic guitar, the track instantly snaps to an intimate, Jose Gonzales style, vocal and acoustic guitar. Your attention is grabbed and you are forced to consider the lyric, delivered first time gently, then later with an almost Placebo awkwardness and finally like a charged Bon Iver. It is a mantra of escapism....but don´t get too comfy....a quick build and BAM you are smacked with an overly crisp electronic beat. 
The trip has begun....

It is immediately evident that a lot of production has gone into this single. This is a pro work. Every second has been meticulously crafted and every effect button has been pressed. Although, I have just discovered that Chris McGuiness produced the track himself. He is a Graduate of Music Tech at Birmingham Uni and an international sound engineer. Hats off to you, great work!

The track carries an upbeat Indie sound with hints of Green Day or Blink 182, but in truth, it has more in common with a modern pop tune than something recorded in a garage. This has been carefully built, like Electronic Dance Music, to be constantly moving, repeating and developing. Full power, using every trick in the book. Never still long enough for even the shortest attention span to get bored. It is effective. The constant tension and release are disorientating and quickly lift you spinning into euphoria.

The bridge threw me for a minute, an impenetrable new language. Was it back tracked? With the guys being Irish, Gaelic seemed like a good guess and indeed, they have confirmed, the lyric is "You are my hero, my darling, the girl in my heart". Good to hear Gaelic in contemporary popular cultural.

All in all, nice fresh work from Blown Away By Giants. Quite possibly the sound track to the summer.  I am resoundingly reminded that, rather than sitting in front of this computer, in a forest or on a mountain top is where I am meant to be! 

Single now available on all Streaming Platforms

The band´s Facebook Page is here

Instagram @blownawaybygiants

 Review by Paul Michelmore