[PREMIERE:] Goldroom’s New Full Length Album “West of The West” Drops Today
The music genius that is Goldroom, has been an avid sailor for quite a while and like the rest of us, is super down with themes of mermaids and nautical fashion. In fact, his love for sailing inspired his new music video for his track, “Lying to You,” which is available on his new full length debut album, West of the West, available today.
The video has Goldroom playing trusty sailor for a romantic couple who give us Brooke Shields a la “The Blue Lagoon” vibes in a major way. Directed by Tim Nackashi (OK Go, and TV On The Radio) the video was beautifully shot on a sailboat off the coast of Catalina Island. I won’t spoil the ending for you (you must watch!) but it also has the reminiscent vibes of Madison from the 80s film, “Splash” — take a peek, and you’ll see why!
The tune is a dreamy pop electronica track about the ever presence of a person you once loved. The new album, West of the West, comes on the heels of Goldroom’s sold out Spring 2016 West Coast headline tour, and debut performance at Coachella. This fall, he’ll be out on the road for another major tour partnering with Autograf as a co-headliner.
Check out the video below (so radical!), read our Q&A with Goldroom and then download, press play, etc. etc!
First of all, we need the origin story — where did you come from? How did you realize you could make music?
I’ve been “writing music” for as long as I can remember. I have vivid memories of walking home from elementary school (I grew up outside of Boston) and just singing nonsense melodies that came to my head. As soon as I started studying the cello, and later the guitar, I always preferred playing songs I would make up rather than practice what I was being taught. I never ever thought any of it was good, but I always loved doing it!
I wrote songs for years without trying to show them to anyone, and it wasn’t until I was in my mid twenties that I ever had the chance to release my own music to the public. Goldroom ended up happening really naturally as I became more and more interested in electronic music. I was pretty lucky to have people respond to the music quickly.
What are some of your musical influences?
I really respect artists who are songwriters first, but who really own their chops in the studio as well. I think Tom Petty, James Murphy, and Ryan Adams are three artists who really represent that best. They’ve built their careers on great songwriting, but they’re studio rats at heart and they’ve all produced records for other artists. I hope to do the same in the future.
What is LYING TO YOU about? And what inspired you to write it?
The song is pretty straightforwardly about how it feels when you want somebody gone from your brain, but they just won’t leave. Anyone who’s been really close to someone know’s that you can’t just turn them off from your brain. Something is going to remind you of them all the time. The conceit of Lying To You is just about knowing that sometimes relationships need to end, but it doesn’t mean you need to regret them or try and forget them, because you can’t!
If “Lying To You” were on a movie soundtrack, set to a specific scene maybe, what would it be and why?
All I can picture is a sad driving scene where the protagonist never looks at the road and is basically inconsolable. So corny!
The Music video for “Lying To You” takes place on a sailboat, and we’ve heard you are an avid sailor. What inspired you to film the video on the water?
Surprisingly the concept for the video didn’t come from me! I’ve shot a couple of other videos on boats and so it’s not the first idea I run to. Sailing is very important to me and probably the only thing I care about as much as music, so I’m only willing to bring the two together so much. Amazingly Tim [Nackashi], the director, brought forward an amazing treatment that I loved. It’s basically a “let’s turn a typical sunny day on the water on its head. How weird can we get?” I loved it right away.
What was it like working with director Tim Nackashi for the video?
He’s a real visionary, and has a real appreciation for the history of filmmaking. He’s not afraid to reference the past and find ways to make it modern and interesting. He understood my position with boats and sailing immediately and found such a creative way to experience the water through a different lens than you would expect with Goldroom. I was pretty in awe of it all.
Can you explain the storyline of the video? But don’t tell anyone the ending!
Well, I play the captain of a sailboat that is taking a couple out for a romantic sail off the coast of Catalina. The day starts quite sunny and happy, but there are hints that something is amiss. It doesn’t take long for odd things to happen, so you’ll just have to check it out to find out.
Besides your previous albums, You’ve done remixes for artists such as Atlas Genius, Charli XCX, MØ, Chvrches, and Janet Jackson. Do you have any favorite remixes you’ve done with another artist?
I love them all in different ways. An early remix I did for Niki & The Dove really helped me find a sound and an audience, so it’s one that I care a lot about. The Chvrches remix is also one that I hold pretty close to my heart.
Do you think it’s easier to be an artist in the day and age of digital music and Spotify?
Absolutely. There’s certainly more noise out there. It’s easier to make music than ever before and it’s easier to get that music out to the public than ever before. To me, removing those barriers is wonderful for the world. More art is ALWAYS a good thing.
Do you think it’s harder to connect with people in terms of getting the music out there?
I do think that’s the drawback. The music has to be really great, because there’s so much of it out there. That’s a wonderful problem to have though. Oh, you’re having trouble getting your music heard? Make it better! I think the overall industry has been leveled out and shortcuts are becoming harder and harder to find. Again, a good problem for the world!
Have you ever done anything using your musical abilities to convince a girl to go out with you?
Not that I can remember. I generally thought I was horrible at music and had a terrible voice. By the time Goldroom started to get noticed, I was already dating my soon-to-be wife. I’m actually really thankful for that. I wouldn’t want a relationship to be based in any way around my career.
What’s next for you?
My debut, full length album, West Of The West, is out Sept 23rd! I’ve been working on it for two years and I can’t wait for the world to finally get to hear it. In support of that, we’re headed on a 6 week tour of North America with my good buddies Autograf. Can’t wait for that!
Find out more about Goldroom at the links below!
Twitter – @goldroom
Instagram – @goldroom
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/goldroom/
Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/goldroom
