Nashville-based rock band Goldpark have released their second EP, fittingly titled Goldpark 2!

The EP has more than earned its title’s punctuation – Goldpark 2! is a delightful collection of sun-soaked, infectious indie-rock worthy of exclamation. The high energy of EP-opener “I Guess It’s Never Enough” never lets up over the next four tracks, reaching joyous highs on standouts “Lady Lightyear” and “Summer In My Head.” “Is the summer really that nice?” the band questions on the latter track, which was described on their social media as “the anti coming of age film.”

Despite lyrics that reject misplaced nostalgia for memories of warmer months (“Summer’s always better in my head”), it’s easy to imagine the song’s irresistible piano soundtracking brighter days. The project arrives on the tail of a truly busy summer for the band, which has included consistent touring and an appearance at Bonnaroo; they’ll also be touring Goldpark 2! this November. 1883 catches up with Goldpark to discuss the new EP, their time on the road, and their favorite songs to perform onstage.

Congrats on the release of ‘Goldpark 2!’ How would you describe this past summer on tour and playing festivals? 

This past summer has been a dream. So much of what we’ve been working towards and looking forward to as a band has happened this past summer. For us, it’s all about the live show! We just want to make records, tour the records, rinse and repeat.

How would you define the sound and mood of ‘Goldpark 2!’? 

In the early days of creating ‘Goldpark 2!’ our producer Jeremy Lutito really encouraged us to find a word that describes the feeling we want the listener to have in response to the record. The word we all landed on was “charming.” If a song wasn’t making us smile then it probably wasn’t the right song for this record. I think from a sound standpoint, we really came into our own this time around. Jeremy pushed us to stay in the mentality of “if it sounds good, it is good” instead of feeling the pressure to tackle things a certain way.

In what ways do you feel you have grown as a band since the release of your first EP?

I think being on the road has really defined a lot of things for us. We’ve taken songs off of the setlist because they didn’t feel right and naturally that informed what went on the record. I think more and more we are understanding what we are and what we’re not. That has proven to be pretty valuable as creatives who can have many identity crises in a lifetime! 

As you’ve been playing songs off the EP live during your time on the road, which is your favorite to perform for a crowd? 

I think right now it’s between “Summer In My Head” and “If That’s What You Want.” Both for different reasons. “Summer In My Heads” feels like we’re going on a journey with the audience and we have their undivided attention and “If That’s What You Want” just feels SUPER rock & roll live!

You’ve described your recent single off the EP, “Summer in My Head,” as “the anti coming of age film.” What first inspired the sentiment behind the track? 

That’s an interesting question because I feel like sometimes the meaning of songs come to us later. We wrote “Summer In My Head” with our producer Jeremy Lutito and it was one of those times where it felt like the song was just spilling out of us. Maybe subconsciously we all aligned in the really interesting contrast of a summer-y feeling song that is lyrically pretty jaded towards summer. 

To date, what has been your most memorable accomplishment as a group? What’s the next goal you hope to achieve together? 

The first one that comes to mind is the two slots at Bonnaroo 2022 that we played. Even writing that out still feels wild! I think we’re excited for any opportunity to play for people who are excited to hear us!

Interview Juliana Ogarrio

Photography Kara Sheridan