Those Who Ride With Giants • Numinous [LP]

Numinous by Those Who Ride With Giants on white vinyl. This is a Moment of Collapse Records' release. 

BIO

With Numinous, MJ Callaghan — the mind behind Those Who Ride With Giants — continues his tradition of crafting instrumental post-rock epics that are as cinematic as they are soul-stirring. Operating from Sydney under his evocative pseudonym, Callaghan builds entire universes through sound, and Numinous is no exception. This conceptual journey invites listeners to embark on a sea voyage, one that sails through moments of tranquil beauty and crashes headlong into storm-tossed intensity.

Callaghan’s work has always existed somewhere between mythology and metaphor — each album a story, each track a chapter. In Numinous, that narrative structure remains, but this time it’s cast against the vast expanse of the ocean. The sea becomes both setting and symbol: its calmness reflects introspection, while its turbulence mirrors the emotional weight of life’s more confronting seasons. It’s an instrumental meditation on how we navigate the unknowable.

From the very first notes, Numinous pulls you into its dreamy, oceanic realm. The instrumentation is deeply refined — a blend of post-rock atmospherics, neoclassical textures, and ambient grace. Melodies drift like fog on water, underpinned by arrangements that rise and fall with the rhythm of waves. Callaghan captures the scale and solitude of the open sea with breathtaking precision. There’s a sense of wonder here, but also of reverence — for both nature’s beauty and its ferocity.

The album leans into quieter, more contemplative spaces, often sounding like a memory held at arm’s length. Classical elements — delicate piano lines, sweeping strings — add emotional weight without ever tipping into sentimentality. Everything is measured, everything is intentional.

Numinous is a voyage in every sense — through water, through feeling, through the landscapes of the self. It’s a masterclass in instrumental storytelling, proving once again that Those Who Ride With Giants isn’t just a project — it’s a portal.