Talos
21 Dec 2019

TALOS | FAR OUT DUST

“A lot of this new record was written in transit,” says Eoin French, the Irish artist better  known  as Talos.  “Being  away  from  the  safety  of  my  home  and  my  studio allowed me to really take the shackles off and create in a different way. It was a terrifying feeling sometimes, but it was also really rewarding.”

While  Talos  will  always  be  deeply  connected  to  his  native  Ireland,  his  stunning sophomore  album,  ‘Far  Out  Dust,’  draws  on  a  far  wider  perspective,  melding tracks written and recorded in New York, Los Angeles, London, Dublin, Cork, and Reykjavik.  The  influence  of  the  unknown  runs  deep  here,  invigorating  French’s haunting  blend  of  organic  and  electronic  music  with  a  gorgeous  sense  of discovery  and  wonder.  But  where  Talos’  acclaimed  debut,  ‘Wild  Alee,’  was  a solitary  affair  about  isolation  and  escape,  ‘Far  Out  Dust’  finds  French  and  his

longtime  production  partner,  Ross  Dowling  (James  Vincent  McMorrow,  Bell  X1), branching  out  to  explore  new  sounds  and  spaces,  teaming  up  with  a  slew  of collaborators  including  producers  Doug  Schadt  (Maggie  Rogers,  Wet)  and Valgeir Sigur ð sson (Sigur Ros, Feist), drummer Ian Chang (Son Lux), and mixer

Damian  Taylor  (Bjork,  Arcade  Fire).  The  result  is  both  French’s  most  confident songwriting  and  his  most  sophisticated  studio  work  yet,  an  album  that  oscillates between hushed introspection and explosive ecstasy as it grapples with the pain of doubt and regret.

“The only way to make this album was to open the doors up,” explains French. “I knew  I  wanted  to  bring  in  people  who  had  very  different  expertise  than  I  had, people who were better players and better producers who could really push me.”

Part  of  that  bold  new  outlook  stemmed  from  the  remarkable  success  of  ‘Wild Alee,’ which was met with such a rapturous critical and commercial response that French  was  able  to  leave  his  second  life  as  an  architect  and  university  lecturer behind  and  devote  himself  to  touring  and  recording  full  time.  Hailed  by  the  Irish

Times as “a spectacularly assured debut,” the album was met with raves on both sides  of  the  pond  upon  its  release  in  2017,  with  The  Independent  calling  it “stunning” and the New York Times’ T Magazine praising the songs’ “taut, chilling complexity.”  In  addition,  the  record  garnered  love  from  BBC  Radio  1,  racked  up more  than  25  million  streams  on  Spotify,  made  the  shortlist  for  the  prestigious

RTÉ  Choice  Music  Prize  for  Irish  Album  of  the  Year,  and  earned  Talos  (which performs   live   as   a   six-piece)   a   sold-out   release   tour   along   with   festival appearances,  including  Electric  Picnic,  Latitude,  All  Together  Now  and  more;