Pain demands a voice that refuses to be ignored. When you have survived the kind of heartbreak that alters your DNA, polite studio tricks simply will not cut it.
You need something loud, unfiltered, and recorded right in the room. That is exactly what Lior Golan brings to the table with his new release.
After letting these songs sit on a hard drive for four years, the Tel Aviv rock artist Lior Golan has finally let them loose. This project ‘Midnight Trains‘ completely ignores the pressure to chase trends or look for a viral moment.
It is a straight shot of adrenaline and honesty, designed for anyone who needs a reason to keep pushing forward.
It hits hard, fast, and leaves a mark that stays with you long after the final chord fades.
Lior Golan is the guitarist, composer, founder, and sole funder behind ‘Midnight Trains‘. Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, he has faced severe PTSD following IDF service, fought through substance abuse, and endured the devastating loss of his sister at the NOVA party.
Gabe is the record’s singer and principal lyric writer, a role that makes the pair’s fifteen year creative relationship audible in every charged exchange.
Golan supplies the guitar architecture and compositional drive; Gabe delivers the words with a force that feels lived rather than rehearsed.
Golan wrote the lyrics to “You Tried Your Best” himself, setting that closer apart as an especially personal statement.
The production hits like a physical force. Recorded at Shardo Studio, the group tracked bass and drums live as a guide, and you can feel that immediate, sweaty energy in every measure.
The opening track, “Cruel Wind“, grabs you by the collar with a massive, driving bassline that refuses to let up. Gabe’s vocals are wonderfully raspy, tearing through the mix with the urgency of a man who has nothing left to lose.
Add in Niv Hovav on Hammond organ and synths, and you get a broad, full-bodied attack built for packed club venues and late night drives. Golan’s guitar parts keep the pressure on, shifting from hard riffs to layered colour without smothering the rhythm section.
The emotional core of the project is impossible to miss. The title track, ‘Midnight Trains‘, is a masterclass in kinetic tension, channelling the chaotic energy of trying to outrun your own shadow.
It taps into that very modern feeling of collective exhaustion, where everyone is running on fumes but still searching for a way out.
It feels akin to the raw, unpolished energy of early internet DIY culture, where people connected over shared struggles rather than curated aesthetics.
Golan captures that same desire for genuine connection amid all the noise.
Then comes the closing track, “You Tried Your Best“. Gabe carries the lead vocal, but Golan’s own lyric gives it a different cut of intimacy.
The track starts slowly, then builds into a cathartic release that feels like a collective exhale. Its reach toward distant stars and human hearts gives the record a humane, hard-won tenderness.
The vulnerability is absolute, turning a private confession into an anthem for anyone carrying too much weight.
This EP is a launch point, not a closing chapter. A second album is already in the making, and a tour is being planned, so the momentum around Lior Golan’s hard rock project has room to build.
For listeners seeking new rock music with lived-in vocals, fierce guitar work, and real stakes, ‘Midnight Trains‘ offers plenty to grip.
Turn it up now, then watch what happens when this material reaches a stage.
