FIRL: Summer Rain
(Gaos Music)
Download / Streaming
Available 27th September
The duo, FIRL, have announced the release of Summer Rain on September 27th via their own lable Gaos Music and have given Louder Than War an early look at the video.
OK, so let’s get this straight from the start, this may not be what you come to this site for but it doesn’t have to be all noise does it?
FIRL are two ex-Bond girls (the band not the movie franchise), Eos Counsell (violin, programming) and Gay-Yee Westerhoff (cello, piano/keyboards). They’re a pair of Honours degree-wielding Music graduates from the Royal College of Music and London’s Trinity College, respectively, who just happen to make up half of the most successful string quartet band of all time with sales of five million albums and counting.
Bond were such a phenomenon they performed in Times Square, they rang the final bell at the New York stock exchange, sold out Sydney Opera House, had sumo wrestlers at their Japan shows, and were featured in both the Tokyo and London Olympics. Correspondingly, the band’s very existence, and they fact they topped the classical charts in numerous countries prompted US Billboard to set up a crossover-classical chart.
Eos is currently featured violinist with Nitin Sawhney and her film and TV soundtrack work includes everything from Sherlock to Spiderman and Doctor Who to Harry Potter as well as Good Omens, as well she has also recording with Sir Paul McCartney, Nick Cave, The Cocteau Twins, Badly Drawn Boy, and Stevie Wonder. Gay-Yee has worked with, amongst others, Primal Scream, Spice Girls, Talvin Singh, The Lightning Seeds Sting, Bryan Adams and Barry Manilow. A lauded and prolific composer, arranger and producer, who also recently contributing songs to Rehab The Musical, a show (starring Keith Allen and Mica Paris) that premiered in the West End in January 2024.
Summer Rain is described as, “A musical representation of clouds and tension building before the joyous release of a thunderous downpour”, will be followed in April 2025 by FIRL’s debut album. Entitled, Wildwood, it’s collection of cinematic, nature-inspired compositions for cello, violin, piano and birdsong and was “inspired by the beauty, mystery and wonder of the natural world, and the many diverse cultures we have encountered on our travels.” Wildwood is the yin to life’s yang.
It’s likely to be the most beautiful record you will hear next year.
The band who made their live debut in Dublin earlier in the year will be promoting the release with their UK debut with an appearance at the Pheasantry, Chelsea on 26thNovember 2024. Tickets available here
For more FIRL visit their LinkTree
All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or find him on X (Twitter) as @iainkey
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