Goldkey Escapes to The Background with his New EP

Goldkey came to us with his simplistic folk-esque music style and we were like children around a campfire, listening to every tune he poured out. His new EP is exactly that – a soft, subtle representation of what this artist is capable of. The lyricism dives deep into a poetic field of thought backed by a simplistic, low-key style of music that is timeless in every capacity. Goldkey sat down with us to chat about his new EP and give us an exclusive track-by-track analysis of the songs. Read below and check out Background – the newest endeavor from emerging singer-songwriter Goldkey!

Why is the EP titled Background? What is the message/theme of the EP?The EP name is based off of the first track “In the Background”. The notion of the background is a peaceful place where you think what you want to, dream up scenarios and go off the deep end on aspirations. The theme of the record is mainly surrounding finding peace and comfort in facing fears and dealing with anxiety. I spent a lot of time this summer at the Lake in Canada and felt a lot of relief from doing so. That photograph comes from a picture I took in Muskoka.

What’s your favorite song on the EP?

My favorite song has to be “Galaxy”. I’ve always been a big fan of some of the classic Velvet Underground songs that just felt like they would build and build for awhile and introduce different elements of the song little by little. I enjoy songs with lots of space that feel organic but then also build up to something short and sweet with a powerful concluding message. “Galaxy” is one of those songs that has a repetitive nature to it but as I was writing it I never felt like it was lacking purpose by harping on the same 2 chords. It was a different kind of song for me.

Favorite lyric in the EP?I certainly have a few so it’s hard to say. From “Rabbit Hole”, I really love the line “It’s a long way down the rabbit hole and I’d rather be a little bit scared than be a little far gone”. This line resonates with me because of the notion of taking risks in life may feel really difficult but it’s better than staying the course and never changing up your routine. From “In the Background” – “I’m just a believer in the wrong time and place stuck in the background”. Something about this line just struck me a certain way. A lot of it has to do with navigating around the social media age and trying to grab someone’s attention during an age where the distractions are limitless and the idea of allowing art to resonate is no longer powerful or captivating enough for more people. I always felt that if I lived at a different time period, I’d fit in better with the old souls.Track- By- Track

“In The Background”:I think in a lot of ways you can think of this song as the voices inside of our heads that allow you to go off the deep end in thought. “I can be whatever I want to right in the background”. There is this conflicting notion and theme throughout the song that the background is a place of security where you can live in your own skin but at the same time you’re “stuck” there. Generally speaking, I like to leave these things up to interpretation for the listener.

“Rabbit Hole”:The Rabbit Hole is the place we all escape to for a little while – physically or mentally changing up a routine. You can look at what I mentioned above for reference.”Galaxy”:”Galaxy” is strictly a song about battling anxiety – “Another galaxy is what I need to change the patterns”. Unless you’re listening closely, that could be missed as I think the casual listener could take away from this that “Galaxy” is about just getting away in general but if you dig a little deeper you’ll find that in a lot of ways this song is a mental battle of over-complications and just wanting to get out of your own head.

“Afraid of Love”:”Afraid of Love” can be interpreted in many ways but the song was written about being on the outside of someone’s heartbreak seeing them consistently go down the same dark path repeatedly and fighting the same demons because of the fear of finding something new and better for them. There are many people in the world who have experienced a severely broken heart over and over and reach a point of being afraid of love because they can’t possibly foresee a different outcome.

“Prominent Moon”:This was the first song written for this EP surprisingly. Was initially an upbeat tune I stripped down due to the nature of it. The song was written battling a month long battle with depression and loneliness, contemplating every outcome of every decision I’ve made in my life and just having way too much time to think alone. I was driving in California and there was a massive bright full moon in front of me at the peak of my sadness. At that point, it felt like changes I was hoping for and dreaming up were kind of like “wishing upon a star” minus the generic nature of that statement. That’s how “Prominent Moon” came to be. The moon was bright and full and I was placing my bets on it (or wishing upon it).

What can fans expect next?I’m currently expecting to have upcoming performances in NYC in the fall/winter and hope to release hard copies of the EP available soon!

Connect with Goldkey:

Instagram . Twitter . Spotify

Instagram . Twitter . Spotify