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"Midnight Trains" by LIOR GOLAN is an intimate release that lets anguish, desire, dreams, and healing dwell unfiltered. Clocking in at around 23 minutes and 32 seconds, with five tracks, "Midnight Trains" is Golan’s first professionally recorded EP and an important milestone in his career. The project also has a curious history. The recordings sat on his laptop for four years before he moved them to a professional studio environment at the famed Shardo Studio in Israel.
The EP was built around a live, organic vibe, recorded on the studio's excellent SSL console. Niv Hovav's piano work and layered guitar textures lend more depth to the compositions. The process wraps up with professional mixing and mastering, resulting in a piece that feels thoughtfully finished without sacrificing the emotional rawness that defines it. What’s so stunning about "Midnight Trains" is the goal behind it. For Golan, these songs are not just a collection of recordings. They are years of pain, dreams, passion and a very intimate process of translating feelings into melodies and words. That process became a form of healing, and now the music is being shared as a kind of medicine for those carrying their own scars.
“CRUEL WIND” and “Keep Me Hanging On” are my favorites. Both capture the emotional weight of the project, while "1991" adds another fascinating piece to the EP's overall journey.
"Midnight Trains" is Golan opening the door to his softest musical universe, hoping that somewhere inside its darkness, listeners can discover a little light.