Dublin quartet Gilla Band are back with their first new music in four years in the form of a single called “Giraffe”.
The band’s vocalist Dara Kiely says: “In this track, the first few sections represent what my general headspace is like. It can be a very scattered and sometimes lonely place. Feeling unloved and finding it difficult to articulate what I’m actually thinking.
“The outro on the other hand indirectly details a kind of confirmation that affection towards me does exist. While I appreciate it, I still find that hard to believe. “She chased me out the door with a hairbrush demanding that I would wear a suitable jacket.” It’s a very Irish Mammy action. That amount of love is difficult for me to accept but it is a beautiful thing to have in life.”
“Giraffe” starts with a commanding bassline slithering through atmospherics while Kiely unfolds some Joyce-style observations, quickly riling himself up into a right state as his bandmates sharpen their aural fangs. The song shifts into bamboozling post-punk as anxieties overwhelm our singer, who seems to melt down in the middle of the morass. However, for the song’s back half, Gilla Band shift into a dub-type dance punk track where the bass rolls and the drums groove. Kiely’s voice is clearer and somehow kinder – we’re outside of his thoughts now, and realising it’s not all so bad after all.
Listen to “Giraffe” below or find it on streamers.
“Giraffe” is out via Rough Trade. A limited edition 7″ picture disc is also being released (order here).
Gilla Band have announced tour dates for late 2026 and early 2027:
Wed-Oct-14-26 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
Thu-Oct-15-26 Brooklyn, NY Elsewhere – The Hall
Sat-Oct-17-26 Allston, MA Brighton Music Hall
Mon-Oct-19-26 Montreal, QC Fairmount Theatre
Tue-Oct-20-26 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace
Wed-Oct-21-26 Detroit, MI Third Man Records – Cass Corridor
Fri-Oct-23-26 Chicago, IL The Bottom Lounge
Sat-Oct-24-26 Saint Paul, MN Turf Club
Tue-Oct-27-26 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
Wed-Oct-28-26 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
Fri-Oct-30-26 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
Sat-Oct-31-26 Vancouver, BC The Pearl on Granville
Sun-Nov-01-26 Seattle, WA Neumos
Tue-Nov-03-26 San Francisco, CA The Independent
Wed-Nov-04-26 Los Angeles, CA Lodge Room Highland Park
Sat-Nov-07-26 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar
Sun-Nov-08-26 Santa Fe, NM Meow Wolf
Tue-Nov-10-26 Austin, TX 29th Street Ballroom
Wed-Nov-11-26 Denton, TX Rubber Gloves Showroom
Fri-Nov-13-26 Nashville, TN The Blue Room at Third Man Records
Sat-Nov-14-26 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle (Back Room)
Sun-Nov-15-26 Washington, DC The Atlantis
Wed 20/01/2027 Trabendo – Paris, France
Thu 21/01/2027 Le Botanique – Brussels, Belgium
Fri 22/01/2027 Le Grand Mix – Tourcoing, France
Sat 23/01/2027 Tolhuistuin – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mon 25/01/2027 Ekko – Utrecht, Netherlands
Tue 26/01/2027 Betty – Hamburg, Germany
Wed 27/01/2027 Loppen -Copenhagen, Denmark
Fri 29/01/2027 SO36 – Berlin, Germany
Sat 30/01/2027 Hydrozagadka – Warsaw, Poland
Sun 31/01/2027 Subzero -Prague, Czech Republic
Tue 02/02/2027 Durer Kert – Budapest, Hungary
Wed 03/02/2027 Flucc Wanne – Vienna, Austria
Fri 05/02/2027 Bogen F – Zurich, Switzerland
Sat 06/02/2027 Arci Bellezza – Milan, Italy
Wed 10/02/2027 Trinity – Bristol, UK
Thu 11/02/2027 Heaven – London, UK
Fri 12/02/2027 Band on The Wall – Manchester, UK
Sat 13/02/2027 Grand Classic – Glasgow, UK
