Gold Record Serve Sweet Indie-Pop with New Single “Oh, Honeybee” [Premiere]

It’s been anything but the Party of The Century lately, but maybe Gold Record can lift your spirits. The alternative pop group has debuted their brand new single “Oh, Honeybee,” which is off of their new EP Party of The Century ready for release on January 29th. Today, we’re getting a good taste of what we’re going to hear off of the upcoming EP, remarkably, the band’s seventh studio release since we so unceremoniously entered into our prevailing quarantine last March.

“Oh, Honeybee” has a new but old feeling to it, as it diversifies the band’s sound, but also marks a return to their more rock n’ roll roots, exemplified by their use of live drums. There’s a late White Stripes element within the song, along with an Arctic Monkeys influence. Once the band members decided to add the saxophone at the beginning of the song and then rolled it over the heavy synth guitar, they felt quite confident that they had something significant on their hands.

With some words and insight on “Oh, Honeybee,” lead vocalist Noah Clark said, “Unlike most of my songs ‘Oh, Honeybee’ began with a drum loop I had been working on. The song began to take shape with the dark piano chords, glissando and the heavy, fuzzy counter melody. At some point, it was taking a ‘Mouse On The Keys’ or ‘Go Go Penguin’ sort of a vibe, which had not been a Gold Record vibe up to that point. But, it was certainly a sound I was interested in exploring. So the guiding light was, ‘What would it sound like if a progressive or post-rock band were pitching a song for a pop artist?’ And that’s the genesis of Honeybee. Mouse On The Keys meets Harry Styles.”

Being lifelong friends, it may cross you as surprising that this trio actually formed this past year while in quarantine during the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown. Spread between the Bay Area in California and the High Desert region of New Mexico, Clark, Evan Michalski, and Ryan McKone decided the time was right to get focused and adventurous in their songwriting efforts. Obviously, the first objective for the band was to come up with some type of songwriting process that could heed productive results while working remotely. Soon, a collaborative process developed, which the band members refer to as the cyclone. Within the cyclone, any member is able to bring up an idea at which point the other members get involved with their primary intent to improve that idea and pass it around to each other until it’s sufficiently completed. It’s a very selfless approach to songwriting, inspired by Michalski’s background in Buddhism which also features a similar process when monks compose meditation music.

Applying this songwriting concept to pop music has helped in Gold Record exploring genres or ideas that they enjoy without feeling tied down by one particular sound. This spiritual approach to songwriting has been a revelation, with the group already stockpiling over 50 songs in less than a year. Focus and commitment are the name of the game when it comes to this innovative collective that’s sure to continue to serve them well as songwriters who are still growing together.

Artwork for ‘Party of the Century’ by Gold Record