Manchester-based band Heart of Gold has released their latest track, “Backseat Daydream”, from their upcoming debut album “Beautiful Dangerous” via SharpTone Records. The track is reminiscent of summertime, falling in love, and is dripping with guitar solos and the beats of the drums.
“’Backseat Daydream’ is about the longing for someone’s company”, shares vocalist Michael McGough. “Based on the long summers you’d spend learning to understand your love and missing them every second you spend apart, not wanting to miss anything in those empty spaces”.
The band’s debut album “Beautiful Dangerous” will be released on August 12th via SharpTone Records. The album will be a time capsule for both new and old stories, as well as a testament to McGough’s experiences and memories of childhood.
The band shares of the new album: “There’s a distinct correlation between beauty and danger. Certain parallels become known once you’ve spent some time growing. Whether it’s the warmth of a new love, the longing that comes after a broken heart, the rush of an unexpected storm in the middle of a crowded city, there is a beauty and a danger to everything; some things are one or the other, but most are clearly both. ‘Beautiful Dangerous’, dissected carefully into fourteen pieces, demonstrates clearly where you can find the line between these two sincere words”.
Peppering subtle philosophical insights, midnight ponderings, and fond memories alongside layers of dreamy synths and smooth saxophone, Heart of Gold’s Michael McGough is bringing a refreshing personal spin to pop music.
As many a listener can attest, it’s no secret that the genre in which the band resides has always embraced tales of love and heartbreak. Yet, while these themes are indeed tastefully sprinkled throughout McGough’s latest work, his debut record is less about finding “the one”, and more about finding oneself in the swirling ups and downs of life’s winding roads.
It may seem odd at first to call this a coming-of-age story for an artist who’s seen outpourings of success both on his own as well as with popular post-hardcore group, Being As An Ocean. However, his new album “Beautiful Dangerous” is a rebirth of sorts for the singer-songwriter.
Traveling to tap the talents of friend, producer, and studio owner, Phil Gornell, McGough routinely left his San Diego home around sunrise and made the five-to-six-hour drive to a small studio not too far from Burbank, Los Angeles. After several weeks, and with vocals and guitar completed, he and the music made their way back to Gronell’s iconic Steel City Studios in Sheffield. It was here in England that drums and percussion were tracked, engineered, and sent to Gornell in LA before circling back to Manchester for mastering. Distance was even bridged virtually as the team collaborated with Black Peaks’ Will Gardner over Zoom to add an extra dash of glittering artistry and the bright brassy flair of a saxophone solo or two.
Serving as a touchstone for the album as a whole, McGough’s constant commute and the resulting miles of worldly reflection are reminders to appreciate all the highs, lows, excitement, and adventure life throws one’s way. The metaphor has infused itself deep into the very bones of “Beautiful Dangerous”, and the album whisks listeners away to a nostalgic sunset trip down memory lane, immersed in vibrant melodies as soft neon lights glow in the rear view. An exploration of self, nestled within the verses and foot-tapping beats of pop music. Heart of Gold in a nutshell.
