Google “The Galactics” and you’ll probably find countless websites dedicated to alien conspiracy theories, but within minutes of scrolling, you will also stumble upon a link to a Southern California band’s Instagram account. The Galactics consists of an eclectic group of San Diego-based musicians who all deliver different aspects to their sound, making each song unpredictable in the way it makes you feel.
The group met while performing at open mic nights and since then, they have released an album called Artificial Clouds. Songs on the album like “Sweetheart Providence” could be mistaken for The Beach Boys covering an All American Rejects tune due to its perfectly tuned vocal harmonies and rock-styled songwriting.
Other songs on the album like “Night Time Architects” sound like the next generation of alternative music songs with its drum pad backing and unprecedented arrangement.
Ruben Ramirez (vocals/guitar) founded the group and started playing with Noah Cookingham (bass/piano/vocals), also known as Cookie, doing acoustic duets on bass and guitar. Later on, they added Cookie’s brother, Nate Cookingham (drums), and Eric Hammond (guitar) creating the current line up of The Galactics.
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In June, they released the single “Friendly Warnings” and it shows their progression as songwriters and producers. The production tops any song on Artificial Clouds and it holds a more eclectic feeling of being a groovy futuristic 70’s sound making its way down the Southern California coast.
While interviewing the band in April, they showed their adoringly odd personalities with their playful humor that can only be found on the West Coast. When I asked them about the association their name has with alien conspiracy theories Hammond laughed and jokingly said: “We’re essentially a bunch of Scientologists.”
Every band member is multi-instrumentalist that has to wear many hats in between songs. I watched them perform some songs from Artificial Clouds, but their cover of Rex Orange County’s “Loving is Easy” stuck out to me the most.
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The cover showed their ability to flip a song on its head and make it sound better than the original version. They added distortions on vocals and used alternative sounding guitar and bass pedals to transform the jazz-pop hit.
The Galactics are a gem that I see reaching listeners across the world with their unique style. Expect their new album to drop later this year or early next year.
Take a listen below:
