An Interview with Goldfish memory
- R.A.G.
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
A wonderfully woven new single from Goldfish Memory portrays an amazing display of progressive and indie rock in the form of a song that shares a lot of inner thought that just comes spilling out for all to soak in. Because of this, the track just has a lot of character behind it, and this is one of the things I found myself becoming the most attached to.
"Flo" is a little experimental and has a great time signature to it right from the get-go, which sort of pulls you in. The guitar work throughout this track is outstanding and really gives you a lot to chew on.
The rhythm has a bit of a bounce to it, and the verses are clean with a smoother tonality on those guitars so that you can focus a little bit more on the lyrics of the track, which, again, showcase a very relatable set of lyrics that lets you know no one in this band is really holding back.
Then, when it gets closer to the chorus, the track sort of explodes and becomes heavier. The guitars are distorted, the sound is more sonically driving, the drums hit harder, and I feel like a lot of the band pushes off that drummer.
One of the things that hit me hard about the track is the energy level of the band themselves. It feels almost like they recorded this whole thing live on the floor, and everyone was just feeding off of each other's energies the entire time.
Of course, I wasn't there, so I can't be sure how they did it, but listening to this track on record makes you want to go see the performance live simply because, if they can capture this kind of aesthetic and energy on record as well, then seeing them live must be even better.
It's rare that you hear a track on a record and immediately know the band's going to be awesome live, but this seems to be one of the exceptions to that rule.
During those choruses, the guitars are really cool. They sort of slide in different directions, giving you a great progression, and all the while, the vocals are belting a lot louder, and there's more emotional attachment during these sections.
I like this because they lean a little bit towards alternative rock during those heavier sections, and I really love the inventive guitar work across the entire song, but especially that chorus.
They're really cool breakdown sections, again with great time signatures that are a little outside the box, and during those sections, you have guitars that are thrashing out a bit, playing chords and progressions, while there's a single note guitar that sort of floats through the background or the ether of the track, giving it a little bit more depth
This was something I latched onto as well, simply because it gave the song these invisible layers that all of a sudden created this bigger atmosphere.
It's been quite some time since I've heard a song that was able to give such a smooth and almost dream-like aesthetic, having a very fast undertone, but also be able to thrash out in a big and heavier way, still keeping their composure and also leading towards that experimental rock approach.
The progressive elements of the track come towards the very end. The last minute or so of this single gives you these mathy progressions, scattered guitar sections, and just amazing attention to detail.
These were changes I didn't see coming, so I definitely held on tight. This is the kind of person that keeps you on your toes and stands tall among rock singles simply because it's got a lot more going on than you expect at first listen.
It's also the kind of track you go back and listen to two or three times in a row so that you can really soak everything in properly.
This was a brilliant track that certainly showcased the band who have a real love for their craft, and when I say that I don't just mean playing their instruments or singing, I mean writing songs together. Songs that come through uniquely and leave their mark.
Upon listening to this track, I took a little bit of a deep dive into their back catalog and came across an EP from last year called Lost and Found.
This record was also awesome, and if you dig the new track, then you're absolutely going to love this EP as well, and I suggest listening to it.
After going through their stuff, I realized I had to have a chat with the band to find out more.
I wanted to know where all this stuff came from, what their influences were, and what might be coming up next for them.
So, while you listen to these songs, have a read through of our interview with the band below.
Don't miss out on this.
Let's talk about "Flo"! This release was vast in its undertone and had this colorful feel to it while delivering a great edginess as well! Where did this track come from?
We wanted to write a song that accurately captures the feeling of angst in a world where we have to constantly “fit-in” and the irony of societal expectations around it. Based on a simple 4-chord structure, we wanted to build a cadence from the intro that culminates to a big release in the chorus. All of us are big fans of punk rock and so we felt the chorus would perfectly encapsulate the release. From there, we wanted to play around with some time signatures changes and attempt to colour the song with some unusual undertones. Towards the end, it felt natural to have an instrumental section that deviates from the script a bit and provides some energy.
I'm hearing a few different approaches to this record! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
We’re big fans of Dream Theatre, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, King Crimson, Tool, Sleep Token, Plini, RHCP, Nirvana, Foo Fighters.
Did you record this at a home setup, or at a big studio?
We have a humble home studio set up where we produce all of our songs.
How did this all start for you as an band?
Started 6 years ago when Mash and Ahnaf moved to Australia. Having played together in different bands for 10 years prior, the goal was to form a line up with diverse influences to be able to do something truly different.
Are you performing live right now?
Yes, we just had a gig in Sydney’s inner west recently and have a couple of shows lined up for next year.
Now that this is out, what's next for you?
We’re working on a couple of singles with some conceptual elements embedded, to be released throughout next year before we work on our first album the year after.
Who's in your headphones right now?
Leprous, Deftones, Haken, Ryo Fukui
What would you tell people they can expect on this release?
There’ll be more tracks down the line with a similar approach
Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music?
We’ll be incorporating subtle nuances (for fans who love Easter eggs!) and conceptual elements across our upcoming tracks. We have something big planned and would love for our fans to be a part of this journey.