Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Back to Winnipeg have been a fixture of Galway’s live music scene for the best part of two years – and through playing distinguished local nights like Free House and A Modern Movement, they’ve grown a reputation for a varied and explorative sound.

The four-piece comprises of alternating frontmen Cian Moran and Eoghan (Fitzy) Barrett, guitarist Liam Moran and drummer Donncha Adams.

Their shared influences range from melodic indie-pop – à la Phoebe Bridgers – to grunge and American rock outfits like Queens of the Stone Age.

And the band’s latest release falls more in line with the latter, because this Friday, Back to Winnipeg launch their sophomore single, Jeronimo.

A murky, assaultive recording that holds firm their DIY ethos, the track marks a departure from the nostalgic surf-pop of their debut, Slowdown.

Still, Jeronimo’s fulcrum is an earworm of a chorus hook that serves as a reminder of the band’s scope.

“Because the chorus is kind of catchy and repetitive, there were people singing it back to us already after the first or second time we played it,” Cian adds.

“After the first chorus, you get it. So that was really cool to see with one of your songs when it’s not even released yet.”

Jeronimo went through several rewrites before reaching its final form. The song was close to being abandoned when it made its way into the band’s live set, where it quickly resonated with crowds.

“There was kind of a discussion lyrically about what was going on,” Fitzy recalls.

“There was just a debate about what the lyrics were about and whether it made sense… It was a much slower verse at the time – it was a lot more melodic I suppose.

“I was pretty much ready to scrap it after that, but it was fun to play for us. It did kind of go down well. It was another one where it was like, okay, we’re kind of in this area sound-wise as a band and this is another left turn for us.

Pictured: Back to Winnipeg…(from left) Cian Moran, Eoghan Barrett (Fitzy) and Liam Moran.