Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Over the past few months, Gallus have unleashed the chaotic self-destruction of ‘Sick Bastards’, reflected on the changing face of Glasgow with ‘MK Des’, watched their cover of The Proclaimers‘ ‘Letter From America’ surpass 128,000 views in under two months, and found themselves invited to meet the Scotland national football team ahead of their World Cup campaign. Today, the Glasgow five-piece bring those stories together with the release of their second album, ‘Life Is Bliss’, via Marshall Records. Their most ambitious and fully realised work to date, the record arrives ahead of the band’s biggest UK headline tour to date, opening with their largest hometown headline show yet at Glasgow’s Art School.
Produced and mixed by Blair Crichton of Dead Pony, the twelve-track record finds Gallus grappling with anxiety, stagnation, disappearing communities and the search for stability in a rapidly changing world. Rooted in Glasgow but speaking to a much wider experience, ‘Life Is Bliss’ balances deeply personal struggles with sharp observations on the systems, cities and relationships that shape everyday life.
Taking its name from the lyric “Eyes are burning, life is bliss” from album track ‘Donnie Murdo’, the album centres around the search for serenity while everything you once relied upon appears to be changing or falling apart. Across twelve tracks, Gallus explore everything from cultural decline and civic vandalism to friendship, self-sabotage and the nagging feeling that life should somehow be moving faster than it is.
Speaking about the album, Gallus say: “A lot of this record is about trying to find stability when the things you care about seem to be changing around you. Some of it comes from watching Glasgow transform, some of it comes from getting older and some of it comes from feeling like life isn’t moving forward in the way you’d hoped. It’s probably the most honest representation of who we are as a band right now”.
Across its twelve tracks, ‘Life Is Bliss’ turns a sharp eye towards both personal anxieties and wider societal frustrations. Whether mourning a changing Glasgow on ‘MK Des‘, confronting the consequences of your actions on ‘Sick Bastards‘, railing against bureaucratic inertia on ‘Alert Alert‘, or searching for signs of progress on ‘Something There‘, the album finds the band balancing humour, frustration and vulnerability in equal measure. The album’s artwork reflects those themes, depicting a well-known tree in Glasgow’s Finnieston district that has remained a constant amid years of redevelopment and change. Much like the record itself, it represents the search for permanence in a rapidly changing world.
The band have shared stages with Biffy Clyro, performed at internationally renowned festivals and showcase events including SXSW, Primavera Sound, Iceland Airwaves, The Great Escape, 2000trees and ESNS, and most recently appeared at Amplifire Festival, one of Germany’s leading alternative music festivals. Their rise has been matched by widespread acclaim, with support from Clash, KERRANG!, Alternative Press and Classic Rock.
The album follows 2023’s ‘We Don’t Like The People We Become’ and the ‘Cool To Drive’ EP, marking the next chapter for a band that has steadily built its reputation through relentless touring, sharp songwriting and an ever-growing live following.
With ‘Life Is Bliss’ finally out in the world, Gallus are preparing to take the record on the road with a series of intimate instore performances and signings, followed by their biggest UK headline tour to date. Tickets are on sale now HERE.
For a band that has spent the last few years turning frustration, self-deprecation and everyday anxieties into something cathartic, ‘Life Is Bliss’ represents their boldest statement yet: a record about trying to make sense of a world in constant flux while holding on to the things that matter most.
