GANS - 'Nightwalking'
Birmingham’s finest boundary-breaking double act GANS are back with their new single ‘NIGHTWALKING’, their most ambitious track to date.
Following the releases of previous singles ‘I THINK I LIKE YOU’ and the frenetic ‘IT’S JUST LIFE’ this Spring, ‘NIGHTWALKING’ is the third and final single from GANS’ upcoming debut album GOOD FOR THE SOUL. Comprising of Euan Woodman (drums, vocals) and Tom Rhodes (bass, vocals), the pair of working-class Black Country natives have been making noise since their formation in late 2023, merging uneasy realism with horizon-chasing escapism. Like the majority of their upcoming debut, ‘NIGHTWALKING’ emerged from a 10-day stay in an idyllic Welsh cottage last November, followed by a three-week studio stint in January with producer Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys, Amyl & The Sniffers, Yard Act, M.I.A., The Fall, Working Men’s Club).
‘NIGHTWALKING’ continues the genre-defying pairing’s journey across the realms of rock, post-punk and electronic music. In their most toned-down track to date, GANS demonstrate their versatility alongside their determination to shatter their own sonic boundaries. By pursuing a markedly different sonic direction to the abrasive punk sound of their earlier singles, ‘NIGHTWALKING’ consolidates the band’s place as firmly beyond the Royal Blood-shaped mould of heavy 2-man rock acts. The pair carve out a dark, brooding soundscape that Woodman describes as “kinda like a Grand Theft Auto late night cruise with Marvin Gaye driving through the streets of Digbeth”. Given this description, it’s fitting that the lyrics of ‘NIGHTWALKING’ explore the dark, liminal spaces between love, desire and lust. There’s echoes of the gothic grandiose and despairing lyrics of The Cure’s Disintegration, but complemented with a suave, smooth horn section that adds a welcome soulful tinge. Sultry trumpets melt into descending, twisting melodies that ensure listeners are “lost in the ocean” and “confusion emotion”.
Accordingly, the music video is a warping, trippy mashup of Woodman’s oil paintings and models that devolves into equal parts hellscape and psychedelia. Think Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas meet the tortured artwork of Francis Bacon. In the age of easily generated AI videos, it’s refreshing to watch such expressive, bespoke (and somewhat disturbing) imagery crafted at the multitalented hands of the songwriter himself. The resulting video reframes ‘NIGHTWALKING’ as an unsettling descent into madness, spiralling further and further with each repeat of the looping lyric “A reason to be bad”.
GOOD FOR THE SOUL releases next month and promises more of the dramatic peaks and riotous energy GANS have become known for alongside a more well-rounded, ambitious sound that refuses to neatly fit in one box. According to Woodman, their full-length debut represents the ultimate journey: “24 years of life distilled through noises and vibrations”. With an array of headline shows across the UK and Europe over the next two months, GANS’ up-and-coming status may soon be a thing of the past, and there’s no better time to check them out.
Words by Taran Will
