Alternative folk-rock artist GIGI GOLD shares her new music video for ‘Stare Up at the Sky’ taken from her debut EP, ‘SOUVENIRS’, out now on MARSHALL RECORDS. Gold will also be playing a series of intimate shows in August 2024. A complete list of dates can be found below.
The West Virginia-born artist’s debut spans genres from folk to rock and blues, crafting a captivating blend of self-discovery, introspection, and vulnerability. The five-track ‘Souvenirs’ EP evokes images of high-speed desert drives, smoke-filled speakeasies, and the intense emotions of a cinematic romance. It’s an exciting fusion of modern folk and classic rock, marked by her distinct lyrical introspection. Fans can stream the full EP– HERE.
“Stare Up at the Sky came from a voice note clip from my collaborator, Tommy,” Gold explains. “He sent me a little recording of him playing a short version of the verse and chorus. I was sitting at my desk when I glanced up at my black & gold sparkly Duesenberg guitar and out came the opening line. The guitars already had this sort of cowboy/western vibe, so it was easy to tell the story with that kind of imagery.
“Like everything I write, the subjects are incredibly personal, even if they’re cloaked and coded. This song is about knowing when to let go of what’s haunting you and recognising that closure might never really come, so you must find it within yourself instead of searching for it externally.”
Speaking on the video, the vocalist adds, “The video was shot on a friend’s farm in West Virginia. This place is so special to me, and what better place for a melancholy cowboy music video to be set than a real working cattle farm? The sun set perfectly behind the treeline, creating this Wizard of Oz-like Glinda pink light effect, adding to the magic.”
CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO CHECK OUT ‘STARE UP AT THE SKY’
MORE ON GIGI GOLD
Growing up in West Virginia, it wasn’t until Gigi moved to nearby Shepherdstown for college that she saw music that could belong to her. “Before that, the only music being made by teenagers was punk and hardcore, and there just weren’t any girls on stage. But then I moved for college to this tiny town, and suddenly, I saw all these women making music. There were loads of open mics, shows in bars and churches, and different kinds of music: rockabilly, folk, ambient, rock and roll. Pretty early on, I thought, ‘I can do this.’” From there, Gigi formed as many bands as she could, eventually meeting then-Gallows guitarist Steph Carter through a “chance online connection” that led to the pair forming two bands, The Ghost Riders in the Sky, and later Lyoness. While Steph and Gigi went on to be married, both these bands folded, leading Gigi to the decision to start her own project. “It’s allowed me to expand into territories I never could have in Lyoness”, she says, “and I’ve had to step forward into a level of confidence I never had before. I have to call all the shots by myself which can be overwhelming, but likewise, I have all this creativity and freedom to shape it into whatever I want it to be.”
Coming from a background of 60s and 70s rock, blended with more modern acts like The Kills or Lana Del Ray, Gigi’s music often unifies the most disparate elements of these two worlds. Perhaps the most striking element of Gigi’s music is her lyricism – sometimes diaristic, sometimes abstract, but always full of bold imagery. “My daily lyric writing process consists of listening to music I’ve never heard before and freewriting whatever it brings up in me”, Gigi explains. “It brings up a memory, or a thought, or something I’m currently dealing with, but it’s all my lived experience. It just depends how it’s flowing and how I feel that day.” This connection of the literal to the metaphorical is most obvious in ‘Why Should I?’, a call-back to the riffs of Lyoness that proved Gigi to be a powerhouse of rock singing. A brooding stampede of bluesy electric guitars and thunderous drums, ‘Why Should I?’ brings to mind modern rock bands like Royal Blood and The Amazons but evokes more poetic artists like Phoebe Bridgers through its lyrics, succinct in its intent.
After nearly a decade of making rock music, Gigi Gold has redefined herself as a bold new voice, turning the genre upside down in pursuit of something new. From the small taste of ‘Souvenirs’, no one can say which direction Gigi will take next, least of all herself: “I felt I needed to lift the constraints, and the only thing ever stopping me was myself. To this day, I don’t know what I want this to be; I just want to be proud of what I put out there.” With this ethos as her guide and a range of songs that proves she can choose any path she wants, Gigi Gold will quickly be recognised as one of music’s most intriguing and unpredictable voices.
Be sure to catch Gigi Gold live this summer, supporting her new EP ‘Souvenirs’ available on Marshall Records. Fans can stream it – HERE. A complete list of Tour dates can be found below.
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2024 TOUR DATES
AUGUST
13 – The Horn St Albans
22 – The Fiddlers Elbow, Camden
31 – The Black Prince, Northampton (Acoustic Show)
SEPTEMBER
29 – Castlefest, Luton
OCTOBER
18 – Black Prince, Northampton
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‘SOUVENIRS’ EP
TRACK LISTING
Why Should I
You Ain’t Changed
Stare Up at the Sky
Black Water Falls
Hot Coals
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CONNECT WITH GIGI GOLD
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