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God Is an Astronaut are an Irish
The band was formed in 2002 by twin brothers Niels and Torsten Kinsella, who took the inspiration for its name from a quote in the movie '' Nightbreed''. God Is an Astronaut's debut album, '' The End of the Beginning'', was released in 2002 on the Revive Records label, which is independently owned by the band. The album was intended to be a farewell to the industry. Two music videos, for "The End of the Beginning" and "From Dust to the Beyond", both produced by the band, received airplay on MTV UK and other MTV Europe networks.
GIAA consider each of their albums to be a sonic "photograph or snapshot of who we are in that moment of time". In mid-2006, a licensing deal with U.K. label Rocket Girl saw both an EP, called '' A Moment of Stillness'', and their second album, '' All Is Violent, All Is Bright'', being re-released.
The band's third album, '' Far from Refuge'', was released in April 2007 on Revive Records and as a download via their website. Their fourth, the self-titled '' God Is an Astronaut'', came out on 7 November 2008. On 12 February 2010, a single was released on the band's website, titled "In the Distance Fading", the second song from their fifth album, called '' Age of the Fifth Sun'', released on 17 May 2010. That year, the band became a quartet, with keyboardist/guitarist Jamie Dean joining.
In early 2008, GIAA embarked on their first tour of the United States. One day before their return home, $20,000 worth of uninsured equipment was stolen from their van in New Jersey.
The band performed at the Eurosonic Festival in 2012, when Ireland was the "Spotlight Country". Their sixth full-length album, '' Origins'', was released in 2013. They then went on tour, performing in places such as China, Russia, Brazil, and Europe.
In June 2015, the band's seventh full-length album, '' Helios Erebus'', was released. In 2018, they issued the album '' Epitaph''. In February 2021, GIAA released '' Ghost Tapes#10'' on
post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...
band from County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
, formed in 2002 by Niels and Torsten Kinsella. Their style employs elements of electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
, krautrock
Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...
, and space rock
Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...
, reminiscent of Tangerine Dream. They have released twelve studio albums to date.
History
The band was formed in 2002 by twin brothers Niels and Torsten Kinsella, who took the inspiration for its name from a quote in the movie '' Nightbreed''. God Is an Astronaut's debut album, '' The End of the Beginning'', was released in 2002 on the Revive Records label, which is independently owned by the band. The album was intended to be a farewell to the industry. Two music videos, for "The End of the Beginning" and "From Dust to the Beyond", both produced by the band, received airplay on MTV UK and other MTV Europe networks.
GIAA consider each of their albums to be a sonic "photograph or snapshot of who we are in that moment of time". In mid-2006, a licensing deal with U.K. label Rocket Girl saw both an EP, called '' A Moment of Stillness'', and their second album, '' All Is Violent, All Is Bright'', being re-released.
The band's third album, '' Far from Refuge'', was released in April 2007 on Revive Records and as a download via their website. Their fourth, the self-titled '' God Is an Astronaut'', came out on 7 November 2008. On 12 February 2010, a single was released on the band's website, titled "In the Distance Fading", the second song from their fifth album, called '' Age of the Fifth Sun'', released on 17 May 2010. That year, the band became a quartet, with keyboardist/guitarist Jamie Dean joining.
In early 2008, GIAA embarked on their first tour of the United States. One day before their return home, $20,000 worth of uninsured equipment was stolen from their van in New Jersey.
The band performed at the Eurosonic Festival in 2012, when Ireland was the "Spotlight Country". Their sixth full-length album, '' Origins'', was released in 2013. They then went on tour, performing in places such as China, Russia, Brazil, and Europe.
In June 2015, the band's seventh full-length album, '' Helios Erebus'', was released. In 2018, they issued the album '' Epitaph''. In February 2021, GIAA released '' Ghost Tapes#10'' on Napalm Records
Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal, hard rock and folk/folk rock/folk metal. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach a ...
. In September 2024, they published their eleventh album, ''Embers''.
Band members
Current * Torsten Kinsella – vocals, guitars, keyboards (2002–present) * Niels Kinsella – bass, guitars (2002–present) * Lloyd Hanney – drums (2003–present) Past * Gazz Carr – keyboards, synthesizer, guitar (2012–13, 2019) * Robert Murphy – keyboards, synthesizer, guitar (touring, 2017–2019) * Jamie Dean – keyboards, guitar (2010–2017, 2020–2022)Discography
* '' The End of the Beginning'' (2002) * '' All Is Violent, All Is Bright'' (2005) * '' A Moment of Stillness'' (2006) * '' Far from Refuge'' (2007) * '' God Is an Astronaut'' (2008) * '' Age of the Fifth Sun'' (2010) * '' Origins'' (2013) * '' Helios Erebus'' (2015) * '' Epitaph'' (2018) * '' Ghost Tapes #10'' (2021) * ''Somnia'' (2022) * ''Embers'' (2024)References
External links
* * {{Authority control Irish post-rock groups Irish instrumental rock musical groups Musical groups established in 2002 2002 establishments in Ireland Musicians from County Wicklow Rocket Girl artists Napalm Records artists