Goldtrip are a three-piece melodic indie rock band from Bristol, who after recently signing to Steve Levine’s Hubris Records have released a debut E.P titled ‘I Try’, a trio of cinematic and finely tuned songs from the softer side of the indie sphere. They are amassing a huge amount of fans and hype following the release of the tracks on iTunes and the videos on YouTube, and for good reason.
The band are made up multi-instrumentalists Dom (vocals, keyboards and guitar), Alex (drums, bass, guitar), and Joe (guitar) who formed in 2008 at Bristol University. Since that time, they’ve worked hard writing songs, gigging around the city and sharpening their sound up to the polished and festival-friendly. It’s that sound that is perhaps what sets them alongside other bands with which they will have obvious comparisons (Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, etc), as they can clearly write a great song, yet the songs aren’t overdone and intensively anthemic; they just coast along positively and precisely, bringing a fresh sense of Americana to the Britpop / Folk combination, which highlights the music they make as original and at times quite magical.
The title track on the EP, ‘I Try’, opens the show in a soft yet assuming way. The whole song cruises along on the wave of a marching beat, the song feeling like it could be a track for Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen to be singing over. But it’s neither of those song-smiths, just a singer for a new generation in Dom Little, who has lyrical care in abundance and combines that with his smooth and convincing style to bring a relaxing piece of acoustic harmony. This lead single highlights much of the bands influences, with many bands being heard in the just over 3 minutes of this track. It’s a great way to open an EP and feels like over forty years of mainstream music pushed together in a way that doesn’t feel outlandish and over-the-top.
The next track, ‘Burn to Fade’, is summer encapsulated, that festival-friendly sound already mentioned being the focal point, reminding me of Glastonbury lights shining through the waving flags of festival goers. The vocals, again, aren’t pushed; just adding what is needed to the acoustics, competent lead electric and other layers of the song. It feels like a slightly more upbeat song from The Smiths, back at a time when the years didn’t seem to be getting so much to Morrissey. The melodies are optimistic and the song feels hymn-like at times, which can put you into a pleasant daydream.
The final track is the band at full force (in comparison to the first two songs), yet ‘Running Out of Love’ sticks to the poppy highs and memorable choruses which is now the recognisable Goldtrip sound. It’s the most memorable chorus of the three tracks, and certainly the most chantable, its sing-along qualities making it the song I enjoyed the most on this EP. The electric rushes, piano chords and choir-like backing vocals bring the debut Goldtrip release to a close, fading into sunshine and leaving you intrigued as to what else this band could be capable of. Without a doubt, a band to watch out for, and if I was a betting man, I’d say they’ll be reaching the heights they are striving for sooner rather than later.
Here are two videos released with the EP.
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