Back in 2018 I had the opportunity to speak to Galway band Rofi James after a performance in Dublin. Since then they’ve gone from strength to strength and on Friday February 17 they released their latest single, ‘Over You’, which should certainly see them well on their way to making 2023 their best year yet.
‘Over You’ comes on the success of their previous releases, ‘Animated’, ‘Berlin Wall’, and ‘Who Am I To You’, and is an anthem about self-preservation, and taking a stand against a toxic person in your life, and quite literally showing them the door.
Written by the three members of the band, Ronan Flaherty, Jamie Murray, and Joseph Flaherty, it was recorded in the studio with producer Dave Skelton, and mastered by Aidan Foley, best known for his work with U2, and Denise Chaila.
‘Over You’ comes out powerfully, reflective of the strong message of the song of getting over a toxic person, and taking a stand against their behaviour. The emotive vocals are supported by the strident instrumentals and hard-hitting lyrics, such as
“All I wanted was you / All I needed was you / I wish that you’d never spoke to me / And I think that it’s time that you should leave”
and
“Take your shit and leave / you had your chance with me / I’m over you you you / we are through through through”
They leave the listener in no doubt as to the way they are feeling, and the object of their should certainly not have any problems understanding either!
Rofi James released their debut single back in 2016, and have built up a great following along the way, as well as sharing the stage with other established acts such as Ryan Sheridan, Picture This, Wild Youth, Pa Sheehy (Walking On Cars) and The Riptide Movement. They’ve performed at festivals including Electric Picnic, Fever Pitch, Riverfest, and, perhaps most notably, The 7-day ‘Galway 2020 capital of culture Fire Festival Tour’, which saw them play for more than 15,000 people, with a closing show in Galway City to approximately 50,000 spectators.
Rofi James have great support on Irish Radio, with regular airplay on national stations such as RTÉ 2FM, iRadio, Beat 102103, Red FM. They are also featured on radio stations further afield, in Europe and the USA.
You can stream ‘Over You’ on Spotify and YouTube. See Rofi James perform live at Fred Zeppelin’s, Cork, on March 10th, and Monroe’s Live, Galway, on May 20th.
Find out more about Rofi James and their music online on their official website, Breaking Tunes, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.