# So Cow

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**So Cow** are an [indie rock](/source/Indie_rock) band from [County Galway](/source/County_Galway), [Ireland](/source/Ireland).[1] It was started as the recording project of Brian Kelly in 2005 in [Seoul](/source/Seoul), [South Korea](/source/South_Korea).[2] The group evolved into a three piece band with Jonny White on bass and Peter O'Shea on drums for 2014's *The Long Con,* released on [Goner Records](/source/Goner_Records)*,* as well as 2012's *Out Of Season* split album with [Squarehead](/source/Squarehead_(band)).

The band have appeared at [Primavera Sound](/source/Primavera_Sound),[3] [SXSW](/source/SXSW)[4] & [Castlepalooza](/source/Castlepalooza).[5] Their sound has been described by [Pitchfork](/source/Pitchfork_Media) as "*Like Television Personalities or [The Clean](/source/The_Clean) at their most engaging, Kelly plays rickety guitar-pop that sounds homemade without feeling insular."[6]* The group received media attention in 2009 in [South Korea](/source/South_Korea) after naming a song after the popular South Korean actress and model [Moon Geun-young](/source/Moon_Geun-young).[7]

## Career

Kelly started So Cow while working as a teacher in [South Korea](/source/South_Korea).[8] After releasing his debut EP *Best Vacation Ever* on the independent Irish label [Rusted Rail](/source/Rusted_Rail) in 2006,[9] Kelly self-released the albums *These Truly Are End Times* in 2007 and *I'm Siding With My Captors* in 2008.[10] Tracks from the EP and albums were released as the compilation album *So Cow* by [Tic Tac Totally](/source/Tic_Tac_Totally) in 2009.[1] *[Pitchfork](/source/Pitchfork_(website))* wrote that the album was: "full of sing-along hooks and scruffy charm." and gave it a score of 7.7/10.[11] On September 6th, 2014, So Cow released their fourth album *The Long Con* on [Goner Records](/source/Goner_Records). The album, which was produced by [Greg Saunier](/source/Greg_Saunier), received positive reviews from critics. Writing for [PopMatters](/source/PopMatters), Matthew Fiander wrote: "So Cow emerges on The Long Con as a fresh new voice in rock music, and the band has a sound that is inherently dynamic and doesn’t need to sit still."[12] Writing for [Allmusic](/source/Allmusic), Mark Deming wrote: "Kelly is a gifted songwriter, a strong and impassioned singer, and a guy with a rough but potent guitar attack..."[13] *[Blurt](/source/Blurt_(magazine))* reviewer Tim Henly opined: "This stuff is noisy and hooky though the band never goes for the obvious hook, in fact, some of the guitar playing is downright amateurish in the best way possible."[14] So Cow's fifth album *Lisa Marie Airplane Tour* was released on September 6, 2016, by US label Jigsaw Records. It was [Bandcamp's](/source/Bandcamp) "Album of the Day" on September 28 of that year, with the website writing that the album: "captures the disorientation that accompanies emotional and physical dislocation."[15] It was *[The Irish Times](/source/The_Irish_Times)'* "New Release of the Week" on September 30, with music journalist Niall Byrne commenting: "If you like noisy guitar pop, with a dose of the real then So Cow's your man."[16]

## Discography

### Albums

- *These Truly Are End Times* (2007) Self Released CD
- *I'm Siding With My Captors* (2008) Self Released CD
- *Meaningless Friendly* (2010) [Tic Tac Totally](/source/Tic_Tac_Totally)
- *The Long Con* (2014) [Goner Records](/source/Goner_Records).
- *Lisa Marie Airplane Tour* (2016) Jigsaw Records / Tall Pat Records / Lost Sounds Tapes
- *Do Re Mi Fa So Cow* (2019) Self Released - CD/Cass
- *But What Has That Done To The Scores?* (2020) Self Released - Digital
- *Bisignis* (2021) Self Released - CD/Cass, Digital
- *Rebel Bishop* (2025) Self Released - CDr with Booklet, Digital

### Live Albums

- *Live Outside* (2020) Self Released - Digital

### Singles, EP's & Splits

- *Best Vacation Ever! EP* (2006) [Rusted Rail](/source/Rusted_Rail)
- *Moon Geun Young* 7" (2007) Almost Ready Records
- *Commuting* 7" (2008) Going Underground Records
- *Ain't No Fun* 7" (2010) [Tic Tac Totally](/source/Tic_Tac_Totally)
- *GMT EP* (2011) Ride The Snake Records
- *Out Of Season* (2012) Inflated Records - Split album with [Squarehead](/source/Squarehead_(band))
- *Visa Waiver* 7" (2013) Boston Pizza Records - Split single with Image Makers
- *Jesus Meets The Women EP* (2024) Self Released - Digital
- *Affected Services EP* (2024) Self Released - Digital
- *H54EP* (2025) Self Released - Digital

### Compilation

- *So Cow* (2009) [Tic Tac Totally](/source/Tic_Tac_Totally)

## References

1. Deming, Mark. ["So Cow Biography on Allmusic"](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/so-cow-mn0001079778/biography). *allmusic.com.*. [Allmusic](/source/Allmusic)

1. ["Interview: So Cow - Photo | Red Bull Music"](http://www.redbull.com/ie/en/music/stories/1331614033449/interview-so-cow). redbull.com. Retrieved 2014-07-10.

1. ["Advertiser.ie - So Cow brings the 'ping pong rock' to Kelly's"](http://www.midlandsadvertiser.ie/galway/article/34018/so-cow-brings-the-ping-pong-rock-to-kellys). midlandsadvertiser.ie. Retrieved 2014-07-10.

1. ["Five Questions: Vocalist Brian Kelley of Irish Lo-Fi Band, So Cow | Riverfront Times"](http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/rftmusic/2010/04/five_questions_so_cow_vocalist_brian_kelley.php). blogs.riverfronttimes.com. Retrieved 2014-07-10.

1. ["Castlepalooza 2009"](http://www.goldenplec.com/festivals/castlepalooza/castlepalooza-2009/). goldenplec.com. Retrieved 2014-07-10.

1. ["So Cow: So Cow | Album Reviews | Pitchfork"](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13167-so-cow/). pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2014-07-10.

1. ["Moon Geun Young used as song title by Irish singer | allkpop.com"](https://www.allkpop.com/article/2009/06/moon-geun-young-used-as-song-title-by-irish-singer). allkpop.com. Retrieved 2014-07-10.

1. Barry, Aoife (17 June 2011). ["Rise of the tribes"](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2.681/rise-of-the-tribes-1.599108). *irishtimes.com*. [The Irish Times](/source/The_Irish_Times)

1. ["So Cow on Rusted Rail"](http://www.rustedrail.com/socow2.html). *rustedrail.com*

1. ["So Cow Discography"](https://socowmusic.com/pages/discography). *socowmusic.com*

1. Hogan, Mark (15 June 2009). ["So Cow"](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13167-so-cow/). *pitchfork.com*. [Pitchfork](/source/Pitchfork_(website))

1. Fiander, Matthew (1 October 2014). ["The Long Con"](https://www.popmatters.com/185844-so-cow-the-long-con-2495615550.html). PopMatters.

1. Deming, Mark. ["The Long Con on Allmusic"](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-long-con-mw0002701429). *Allmusic.com*

1. Henley, Tim (16 September 2014). ["The Long Con"](https://blurtonline.com/review/cow-long-con-2/). [Blurt](/source/Blurt_(magazine))

1. Zaleski, Annie (28 September 2016). ["Album of the Day: So Cow, "Lisa Marie Airplane Tour""](https://daily.bandcamp.com/album-of-the-day/so-cow-lisa-marie-airplane-tour-review). [Bandcamp](/source/Bandcamp)

1. Byrne, Niall. ["Nialler9's New Irish Music: Super Silly, So Cow, Bad Sea and more"](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/nialler9-s-new-irish-music-super-silly-so-cow-bad-sea-and-more-1.2812073). The Irish Times.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [So Cow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_Cow) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_Cow?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.