In Short: Dirty Gold ‘Roar’

‘Roar’ is the debut EP from Californian outfit Dirty Gold. They first came to everyone’s attention with the summer chill anthem California Sunrise that was so utterly likable that pretty much everyone who heard it seemed to fall in love with it.

Therefore the fact that their first EP is filled with similarly sunny, likable, and charming tunes should come as no surprise. But there’s also enough depth here to show that this band could be something genuinely great.

Opening song North serves as an introduction to the album with a strong jangly guitar and plenty of tropical elements. It actually sounds uncannily like Vampire Weekend, which is either going to be fantastic or terrible depending on your perspective. But either way it’s only a very brief introduction at just over a minute long. This is a bit of a pity really, because I think it could be a wonderful full-length track if it was expanded on a bit.

Regardless, the EP is soon launching into its strongest track, the aforementioned California Sunrise. And I swear it’s impossible not to love this song. It’s so relaxed, so beautiful, so… summer. It brings back memories of lying on a beach under the afternoon sun without a care in the world, whether or not you’ve actually ever done that. It captures the feeling of not caring about the outcomes of your decisions at all perfectly; of just going with the flow regardless of the result. The freedom of indifference.

“I need some summer sun to come and wake me up”

Despite the fact that California Sunrise is as good as the EP gets, there’s still plenty to like about the last few songs. They are all also summer chill tracks, but there’s nothing wrong with a band sticking to their strengths for their debut EP- indeed you could argue that it would be stupid to do otherwise. Closing song Overboard is particularly enjoyable, building into a cacophony of guitar and vocals before stripping away to just a gentle drumbeat and sparse vocals.

‘Roar’ is a remarkably strong and cohesive debut offering from Dirty Gold. There’s simply nothing not to like about this music, and with Melbourne seemingly descending into an early winter, it might just provide the sounds of summer sun needed to wake you up.