Hello everyone, it’s your host Tehillah from DULAXI, and today I’m delighted to be joined by Grainville Train, the modern country rock band from Jyväskylä, Finland, for a conversation surrounding their latest single, “Cowboy Cadillac.” Released on July 24th, 2026, the track is the second single from the band’s upcoming debut album, scheduled for release in autumn 2026.
Blending country rock, Americana, folk, and rock influences, Grainville Train have been developing their musical identity since their formation in 2008. Their sound is rooted in strong storytelling, melodic songwriting, powerful guitars, and the kind of energy that naturally belongs on an open road. The band’s journey has also brought growing recognition beyond Finland, including the It’s Now Radio UK Award 2026, semi-finalist positions in the Unsigned Only Music Awards 2026 and the International Songwriting Competition 2025, and a No. 8 position for “Cowboy Cadillac” on the It’s Now Radio UK Top 40 Chart.
Before we begin our conversation with Grainville Train, here’s what you need to know about today’s featured project.
About Grainville Train
Grainville Train’s story begins in Jyväskylä, Finland, where the band was founded in 2008 with a musical direction firmly rooted in country rock. Over the years, the five-piece has evolved through lineup changes and the different creative contributions of its members, while maintaining country rock as the foundation of its identity. Their music brings together classic country rock traditions, a powerful rock attitude, melodic soft-rock elements, and an Americana influence that gives their songwriting a distinctly open-road character.
The band’s development has taken place within a Finnish musical environment where country rock has not always occupied a mainstream position. Rather than allowing that to push them away from their preferred sound, Grainville Train have continued to hold firmly to their musical direction. Their live performances have become an important part of that identity, with the band’s energy and chemistry helping translate their songwriting into an experience built for the stage.
Storytelling is equally central to Grainville Train’s approach. Many of the songs connected to their forthcoming debut album draw from real-life experiences, characters, environments, and observations. That approach is particularly evident in “Cowboy Cadillac,” a song that takes the traditional image of the cowboy and gives it a distinctly modern setting.
Instead of a horse, the cowboy’s vehicle is an old, rusty car. Rather than treating its worn appearance as a weakness, the song turns those imperfections into part of its character. The vehicle may not impress everyone looking at it from the outside, but to the person behind the wheel, it represents freedom, practicality, individuality, and personal value. The idea reflects the band’s broader belief that something does not have to be new, expensive, or conventionally impressive to have meaning.
Musically, “Cowboy Cadillac” represents the high-energy side of Grainville Train. The track was shaped around driving rhythms and guitar work that reflects the band’s natural rock instincts. The result fits comfortably within the world of highway listening, motorcycles, trucks, and long-distance journeys, while remaining connected to the band’s own country-rock foundations.
The single follows “New Hand to Hold,” the first release from the forthcoming debut album. While “Cowboy Cadillac” gives listeners a glimpse of the band’s energetic side, Grainville Train have indicated that the full album will offer a much broader musical picture. Alongside the driving country rock, listeners can expect heartfelt ballads and other elements that the band is keeping undisclosed until the album’s release.
Grainville Train’s recent recognition has added another important chapter to a journey that began nearly two decades ago. Grainville Train were named winners of the It’s Now Radio UK Final Award Winner 2026 for the most-voted song, while also reaching the semi-finals of the Unsigned Only Music Awards 2026 in the Americana category with “New Hand to Hold” and the International Songwriting Competition 2025. “Cowboy Cadillac” has continued that momentum by reaching No. 8 on the It’s Now Radio UK Top 40 Chart.
Having this brief introduction to today’s featured project, I’m sure both new listeners and longtime fans are excited to hear directly from Grainville Train. So, without further ado, let’s begin today’s interview.
INTERVIEW SESSION
Tehillah:
Grainville Train has been building its identity since 2008, moving through different musical experiences before arriving at the modern country rock sound you have today. What has kept the five of you connected to this band for so many years, and what do you think has been the biggest reason Grainville Train has continued to evolve rather than simply repeating what worked in the past?
Grainville Train:
At its core, our sound has always been country rock, but we’ve often had to make compromises during live gigs because this genre has never been part of the mainstream here in Finland. The lineup has changed over the years, and our founder and band leader is the only original member left. However, the current lineup has been playing together for years now, though we did have a change in lead singers a little over a year ago. The evolution has happened very naturally as new members brought in their own unique skills and flavors, but the core passion and baseline have always remained the same.
Tehillah:
Coming from Jyväskylä, Finland, you are creating music that draws heavily from Americana, country rock, and the open-road tradition often associated with the American South and West. What is it about that musical world that feels authentic to you despite the band’s Finnish roots, and how have you made those influences part of your own identity rather than simply imitating them?
Grainville Train:
Our band leader and songwriter lived in the United States back in the 1980s, so that musical world and lifestyle have always been a deep-rooted part of his identity and creative work. He listens to a massive variety of music, and you could say this band is his personal musical time travel, heavily featuring the influences we all share, like the Eagles. We are not trying to imitate anyone. This is our own music, crafted exactly the way we see, hear, and feel it.
Tehillah:
“Cowboy Cadillac” takes the familiar image of the cowboy and replaces the horse with a rusty, worn-out car, turning something that looks worthless to others into something deeply valuable to its owner. What was the real-life image or idea that first sparked that story, and what did you want the rusty car to represent beyond being a character in the song?
Grainville Train:
This story comes straight out of real life. When you live in the countryside, you simply have to find practical solutions to get around. You can’t ride a horse everywhere, so if you find an old junk car sitting in the barn, you fix it up and give it a brand-new life. Not everything needs to be shiny and brand new; you can get by perfectly fine with something old. Our songwriter shares his actual life through these lyrics—he lives on a horse ranch in the countryside and drives vintage American cars himself.
Tehillah:
The song’s central message suggests that style and value are not determined by price, appearance, or other people’s opinions, but by the way something makes you feel. How much of that philosophy reflects the band’s own attitude toward life, music, or the way you have built Grainville Train over the years?
Grainville Train:
As a band, we have always walked our own path. We have stood our ground and made sure country rock remains our primary genre, never compromising on that through the years. Our setlists have always been packed with these songs, and we push that uncompromising attitude heavily during our live shows, no matter what the mainstream trends look like.
Tehillah:
There is something very modern about updating the cowboy myth this way, because the traditional symbol of freedom remains, but the horse becomes an aging piece of machinery with patched seats and plenty of imperfections. Why did you want the cowboy in this story to be imperfect, and what does that imperfection add to the idea of freedom?
Grainville Train:
Once again, this comes down to pure practicality and the reality of country living. When you live out there, you just need to get moving. You can’t live life expecting everything to be flawlessly polished and perfect all the time. The most important thing is that the wheels keep turning and the journey continues—sometimes that means driving an imperfect rig. True freedom is found in the action and the movement itself, not in how your ride looks from the outside.
Tehillah:
Musically, “Cowboy Cadillac” combines the energy of Blackberry Smoke and 49 Winchester with the rhythmic drive associated with Dierks Bentley, while still maintaining the band’s own country rock character. When you were shaping the track, what did you want the rhythm and guitars to make the listener physically feel, particularly someone hearing it on a long highway drive?
Grainville Train:
For our songwriter, the guitars and their specific sound have always been incredibly important. The music has to be defined by authentic, high-energy guitar work because that is exactly who we are as a band. There is a little rocker living inside every single one of us, and we wanted that to come through in the arrangement. We wanted that driving rhythm and the grit of the guitars to hit the listener right in the chest.
Tehillah:
The song is aimed naturally toward bikers, truck drivers, and anyone who associates music with the physical freedom of the open road. What is it about driving that makes it such a powerful setting for this particular song, and what do you think happens emotionally when a listener hears “Cowboy Cadillac” while actually moving through a landscape?
Grainville Train:
Our band leader is deeply passionate about Harleys and American vintage cars, so this world is completely natural to us. We hope that when people hear it on the road, they crank the volume all the way up, smile, and think to themselves, “Now this is a killer tune.”
Tehillah:
Your storytelling has always been an important part of Grainville Train’s identity, and this song tells a complete story through the image of one driver seeing beauty and value in something everyone else dismisses. How do you approach writing characters and situations in a way that gives a simple country rock song enough personality to stay with the listener?
Grainville Train:
Every song we write tells its own unique story. The narrative and the characters in this track come straight out of the songwriter’s personal life, which is true for the vast majority of the songs on our upcoming album. Real life always writes the best characters.
Tehillah:
There is also a strong sense of visual imagination in the song, from rusty iron and patched burlap seats to the larger picture of a battered car becoming someone’s dream machine. Did you picture the scenes almost like a film while writing the song, and how did those visual details influence the lyrics and arrangement?
Grainville Train:
Yes, absolutely. This is a movie written by real life, straight through the lyrics and the musical arrangements. Nothing was just made up out of thin air at a studio desk.
Tehillah:
“Cowboy Cadillac” has reached #8 on the It’s Now Radio UK Top 40 Chart, adding another significant milestone to a period that has already included winning the It’s Now Radio UK Award and reaching the semi-finals of the Unsigned Only Music Awards and International Songwriting Competition. What did seeing this particular song break into the Top 10 mean to the band, especially after spending so many years developing your sound?
Grainville Train:
We have been incredibly happy to see our music getting so much airplay on the station. The listeners’ response is always the best and most honest review a new song can ever get. We are deeply grateful that people are digging our vibe. A milestone like this naturally gives us a huge boost of energy to keep writing and creating more music.
Tehillah:
The response to “Cowboy Cadillac” has also created momentum ahead of your debut album this autumn. How does the reaction to this song influence the way you think about the album as a whole, particularly when the record is intended to show a wider range of your musical experience while still remaining rooted in your country rock identity?
Grainville Train:
“Cowboy Cadillac” is probably one of our best and purest country rock tracks to date, and it represents our style 100%. That said, for us, it’s one great track among many others on the record. As a band, we aren’t really used to massive hype because country rock still isn’t a dominant genre here in Finland. But we keep pushing forward regardless, with absolute faith in our own sound.
Tehillah:
As the second single following “New Hand to Hold,” “Cowboy Cadillac” gives listeners another perspective on what the debut album will sound like. What did you deliberately want this single to reveal about the record that the first release could not, and what are you still holding back for listeners to discover when the full album arrives?
Grainville Train:
“Cowboy Cadillac” represents the high-energy, fast-paced side of our country rock catalog. The upcoming album is going to be a highly diverse musical package—there will be heartfelt ballads and plenty of other elements that we are keeping under wraps until the full release drops.
Tehillah:
The band has spent years developing a live reputation alongside the songwriting, and country rock depends heavily on the chemistry between musicians in the room. How did the five-piece approach the recording of “Cowboy Cadillac” in terms of preserving the live energy and spontaneity that audiences experience when they see Grainville Train on stage?
Grainville Train:
We have always shared a massive amount of live energy and chemistry on stage. We’ve already had the chance to perform “Cowboy Cadillac” live at our gigs, and it has been a huge crowd-pleaser even before the official release. That raw live energy naturally transferred itself right into the studio sessions.
Tehillah:
The idea behind the song is ultimately bigger than the car itself because it challenges the idea that something has to look impressive to have worth. What do you hope a listener takes from that message beyond the road-trip imagery, particularly someone who may have spent time feeling overlooked because they did not fit another person’s definition of success?
Grainville Train:
We hope listeners learn to value the genuine feeling and the vibe of an experience far more than just the superficial exterior or material wealth. A car—or anything else in life—doesn’t need to be expensive or look fancy in the eyes of others. What matters most is how it makes you feel and what it means to you personally. Your own vibe is what defines success, not anyone else’s opinion.
Tehillah:
Grainville Train has already received international recognition while continuing to operate from Finland and build its own path within the independent country rock scene. What have these milestones taught you about the band’s place in the wider Americana and country rock community, and what areas do you still feel the band has something to prove to itself rather than to anyone else?
Grainville Train:
We have always held our own unique space in Finnish country rock, acting as pioneers of this genre here since the very beginning, and we take great pride in that. We are still independent trailblazers walking our own path. With this upcoming album, we finally get to show the global scene the full scope of what we can do.
Tehillah:
With “Cowboy Cadillac” now carrying strong chart momentum and the debut album approaching in autumn 2026, what are you most excited for people to discover about Grainville Train next, and what kind of chapter do you hope this album opens for the band both musically and internationally?
Grainville Train:
We obviously hope people fall in love with the upcoming LP, because it truly showcases our finest and most versatile musical work. We also hope it opens brand-new doors internationally—as a band, we are completely ready to head out and conquer new territories way beyond the borders of Finland.
“Grainville Train turns the open road into more than a setting; they make it a state of mind, where independence, lived experience, and unapologetic country-rock spirit all move in the same direction.”
~ Tehillah (DULAXI Team)
EDITORIAL PERSPECTIVE
“Cowboy Cadillac” feels closely connected to the people and experiences behind it. Its country-rock drive, guitar-led character, and visual storytelling work together without losing the sense that these songs come from a real place. What stands out most is how naturally Grainville Train connect their musical identity with their philosophy of independence. The track is energetic without being detached from its story, while the band’s discussion of the forthcoming album suggests there is considerably more range still to discover.
~ Tehillah (DULAXI Team)
CLOSING
Our conversation with Grainville Train offers an insightful look into a band that has spent years developing its identity without allowing changing trends to determine what that identity should be. “Cowboy Cadillac” captures one particularly energetic side of their country-rock sound, while the band’s reflections make it clear that the forthcoming debut album will offer a broader picture of their musical range.
Thank you to Grainville Train for taking the time to speak with DULAXI and for sharing the stories, ideas, and creative thinking behind the music. Their journey from Jyväskylä to a growing international audience is still unfolding, with the band’s debut album set to arrive in autumn 2026.
For readers discovering Grainville Train for the first time, “Cowboy Cadillac” offers a natural place to begin. Listen to the track, experience the world the band has created around it, and follow their journey as they prepare to take their music beyond Finland.
Thank you for spending time with DULAXI. We look forward to bringing you more conversations with artists, bands, and creators from around the world.