Goldpark
Goldpark has just released their brand new single “Covered In Sunshine” and wow, what a record. To me, this song could be one of the greatest songs of all time. It’s a song that should be heard by everybody and a song that should be remembered for a very long time. The Nashville-based band have created something big with this single. “Covered In Sunshine” has a brilliant instrumentation & production, and the chorus is incredible. I totally imagine “Covered In Sunshine” featuring in a movie or a hit TV show and it’s also a song that deserves to be heard live.
Thank you guys so much for the chat. I wish you nothing but the best.
“Covered In Sunshine” is out now !
Introduce yourselves - what's your story?
I'm Andrew and I play guitar. Wes sings and plays guitar. Kyle plays the drum kit. I moved to Nashville in the summer of 2019 and met Wes at a part time job we were working. I started filling in on guitar for a project Wes was involved in at the time. We connected on a sound we wanted to pursue and started writing songs together. At the beginning of 2020 we started Goldpark. I had played a lot of music with Kyle before moving to Nashville and he was always going to be the first call if we needed a drummer. It’s been the three of us ever since. (Andrew)
When did you start writing songs as a group?
The earliest songs for Goldpark came in the heat of the pandemic. When stuff was shut down and we were all being super socially distant Wes and I would pass Logic sessions back and forth. I would work on a track and pass him an instrumental for him to write on or he would send me a demo and I would do some little arrangement moves here and there. My Place and Wild Love are good examples of that process. I had written pretty much all of the music for My Place but couldn’t find the song until Wes got his hands on it. (Andrew)
What gave you the confidence to form a band and release your original music?
Being in a band I think is something all three of us have wanted to do since we first started listening to records and playing our instruments, and maybe even before that (laugh). I remember coming home from my first guitar lesson in 3rd grade and telling my mom “I’m not sure how yet, but I’m definitely going to play guitar for the rest of my life.” I think I found my confidence to form and join a band when I found Wes and Kyle. Band’s don’t exist without songs and each of those guys have a knack for making pretty much anything that comes out of them sound like a song. That’s a really special thing to witness and be a part of. I’m just lucky to be at the table (laugh).
Who was the first person to ever believe in Goldpark?
Besides the obvious answer of our families, the absolute OG of og’s in the Goldpark camp is our manager, Brad Parker. Brad has been our biggest cheerleader since day one. He’s been around since before we even started Goldpark. We owe so much to him and wouldn’t be where we are today without him. (Andrew)
"Covered in Sunshine" is your new single - what's the story/inspiration behind this single? Can you describe the songwriting/production process for this single? Who helped you create it?
Wes and I wrote this song with the uber talented Trent Dabbs. We got to Trent’s studio spot and he already had a killer track, a hook, and some lyrics. We wrote the rest of the song around the idea that it’s easy to get bogged down and distracted in a world that moves so fast and there’s so much fighting for your attention. The chorus can be taken literally… step outside and enjoy life. After we did some pre-production with my brother in law, Parke Cottrell, we sat on the tune for a bit. We took it to Jeremy Lutito and he helped us craft and hone in on the sonic identity that suits the song so well. (Andrew)
What's your favorite thing about this song?
Personally, my favorite part that Jeremy helped us mature from the demo is the guitar part in the chorus. It’s my favorite part to play live… maybe in the whole set. Kyle’s drums sound insane too. (Andrew)
What made you want to release "Covered in Sunshine" as a single?
I think it felt important to us for this song to have its own moment before the rest of the EP comes out. I think it will give people an opportunity to build a unique relationship with this song with plenty of summer left. Roll the windows down, turn it up, and sing it loud. (Andrew)
What do you want people to feel when listening to this song?
I’d love it if this was a song that could someday be tied to a certain year or era of time for someone. The kind of memory where when you hear the song you can smell the air from the day you first heard it. Maybe you can remember the way you felt, or who you were back then. (Wes)
What can you tell us about the artwork?
For this single artwork (and all of the work for our next EP), our ultimate goal is to convey a feeling that we feel matches the song. The image itself is ambiguous, not really pointing to any specific subject or idea. It’s really a more zoomed-in capture of a much larger scene, one that may or may not be revealed in the future. Who is the man? Why is there an apple on those books? What year is that Ricky bass behind the guy? What’s the orange blur? Who knows. Covered in Sunshine is an energetic and bright song that can be interpreted as the listener wishes… and we feel that the cover conveys that. (Kyle)
What's your goal for this song?
I think our goal for this song is really just to make people smile. What I love about Covered is that it feels magical through speakers and on a stage. I think we caught something in the air the day we wrote it and I can feel that every time. (Wes)
As artists, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
It’s really tough to pin down what the hardest part is. I guess sometimes it’s tough when you don’t feel like what you’re trying to say/do/convey is not being received the way you intended. Or maybe it’s not being acknowledged in the way that you think it should be. The best part? Man, those too many good ones. I guess it’s probably when you see that what you’re doing has impacted someone in a profound way. I know that’s been said, but it’s so true. (Wes)
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
Ironically, I think this song has a lot to say about the way that I/We feel on this issue. There’s SO much good music being made/released. I think the beauty of our time is that so many tools have been made available to the masses. And that’s an amazing thing. I think if I could change one thing though it would be the culture of “fast fashion” in our industry. It seems like songs/artists/trends are here today and gone tomorrow way sooner than they used to be and I think it’s because the system rewards that model. There’s not an emphasis on longevity anymore. (Wes)
How's the Nashville music scene? Any artist(s) you'd like to recommend?
(Wes) The Nashville scene is an inspiring place. I compare it to the feeling I get walking around NYC, there is so much to see and hear and take in, it makes you feel alive. Nashville is kinda like that. It’s hard not to be energized by how much musically there is going on all the time. There are an insane amount of truly talented bands and artists… and it really feels like everyone is excited to see others doing well. It doesn’t feel competitive or cut throat. It feels like everyone is just happy to be in such a rich musical environment… it’s hard not to feel that when you’re in this city! We’ve gotten to tour and be around a lot of those artists. Here are some friends that we’d recommend:
Maggie Miles
Elenowen
Kingston Hythe
Watson Maack
Love You Later
Bre Kennedy
The Thing with Feathers
Twen
P.S. from Kyle… I have to mention, Andrew and I (Kyle) saw a band in Nash a few months ago called Twen. They played at a spot called DRK MTTER (dark matter). It kind of blew us away. To see a band so themselves and so tight and so sure of who they were and their sound was really huge for us. We still talk about that show and how insane it was. Definitely worth checking out.
What message would you like to give to the world?
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it a billion times. We just wanna make people smile. Hopefully our music provides an escape for people. But maybe I would say this. Keep your heads up. We live in a beautiful world, and we need you! (Wes)
Connect with Goldpark: