Lior Golan’s debut EP MIDNIGHT TRAINS is a hard-earned document of survival. The Tel Aviv-based musician finally brings to life recordings that sat untouched for four years while he battled PTSD, addiction, grief, and the long road back to sobriety. Alongside longtime collaborator and guitarist Gabriel Lefelman, whose creative partnership stretches back 15 years, Golan transforms personal torment into five uncompromising tracks that wear their scars with pride. Drawing from the classic power of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Pink Floyd while carving out a voice of his own, the EP feels raw, honest, and refreshingly unfiltered.
The title track, “MIDNIGHT TRAIN (Live),” barrels in with grinding guitar riffs, pounding drums, and a live-wire energy that immediately grabs hold. Recorded with the rhythm section playing together, the performance breathes naturally, capturing the spontaneous chemistry often missing from overly polished rock productions. Golan’s raspy, gritty vocals cut through the dense instrumentation with conviction as he sings of chasing dreams aboard the titular midnight train. Lyrics like “Ain’t slowing down, ain’t turning back” embody restless determination, while the recurring chorus transforms the train into a symbol of escape, ambition, and the refusal to stay rooted in the past.
Closing the EP, “YOU TRIED YOUR BEST (Live),” featuring Gabriel Just, shifts gears into something more reflective. It opens with subdued instrumentation and Golan’s somber voice delivering gentle reassurance before gradually building into crashing cymbals, grinding guitars, and soaring vocals. The lyrics extend compassion to anyone carrying emotional burdens, urging listeners not to fade away but to keep fighting. The poignant declaration, “From distant stars to human hearts, I shall serve the light,” becomes the emotional centrepiece of both the song and the EP itself.
Throughout MIDNIGHT TRAINS, layered guitars, tasteful keyboard work, and organic live recording techniques create a sound that’s both expansive and deeply human. This is a debut forged in darkness, yet it never stops reaching toward the light.
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Review by: Naomi Joan