Talos

Known for his sweltering, reverb-laden songs and falsetto vocals, Talos was an indie pop musician from Cork, Ireland. He quickly became recognized for his ethereal tracks on early releases such as 2014's Tethered Bones and 2016's O Sanctum. In 2017, he issued his first full-length, the Choice Music Prize-nominated Wild Alee, following with his breakthrough sophomore set Far Out Dust in 2019. His third album, Dear Chaos, landed in 2022. Eoin French became interested in music at an early age, taking up piano lessons at the age of five. Around the age of 12, he began focusing on guitar instead, but returned to piano in his early twenties to build his contemporary songwriting skills. He was inspired by an eclectic array of artists throughout his teens, including everyone from Dr. Dre and David Bowie to Kate Bush and Bob Dylan. He spent his early twenties studying at the Cork School of Music, where he joined the band Hush Dream Cry. The group released one EP, Voices, in 2012 before French left the band with the intent of moving to Los Angeles to begin a career in architecture. However, his girlfriend had suddenly fallen ill and he decided to stay in Cork. It was then that he began the Talos project, releasing the tracks "Tethered Bones" and "Bloom" in late 2014. The sparse, dub-like electronica of the tracks earned the producer a positive response, and he began to earn comparison to artists such as James Blake, Bon Iver, and James Vincent McMorrow. He took a brief hiatus afterward to begin lecturing in architecture at the University College of Cork. He returned in 2016 with the O Sanctum EP via Feel Good Lost, following up with his first official full-length, Wild Alee, in 2017. That set was later nominated for the Choice Music Prize in his native Ireland. The next year saw the release of the Live at St. Luke's EP. Continuing his steady pace, he issued sophomore full-length Far Out Dust in early 2019. Along with frequent collaborator Ross Dowling, he also recruited Doug Schadt (Maggie Rogers, Wet), Valgeir Sigurðsson (Sigur Rós, Feist), and Damian Taylor (Björk, Arcade Fire) for the atmospheric 12-song journey. The effort was promoted by a tour that took French from China to the U.S., where he found inspiration at an artist residency in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Along with Bon Iver producer Brian Joseph, a returning Dowling, and Icelandic composer Atli Örvarsson, French forged a new vision inspired by his locale, delivering Dear Chaos in 2022. Following a short illness, French died at home in Cork on August 11, 2024. ~ Rob Wacey, Rovi