Gold stream 'Why Aren't You Laughing?' in full
Dutch avant-garde dark rock ensemble, GOLD, are today streaming their new album in full. Why Aren't You Laughing? is released tomorrow, April 5, via Artoffact Records. With critical acclaim rolling in, and a European tour looming, CVLT Nation describe the record as an 'awesome piece of sonic dirge.'
Guitarist, Thomas Sciarone comments: "On Why Aren't You Laughing? we gave it our all. As hard as it is to categorise musically (it's somewhere between Portishead and Katatonia), as powerful it is emotionally. This might be the saddest album of all sad albums."
Vocalist, Milena Eva adds: "I tell you some of my most personal stories. It’s about loss and trauma and the complexity of life. I couldn’t have been more honest and vulnerable and I think that’s all we need right now. I hope it sparks empathy. Not for me, but for everybody around you. Just know, that you and everybody you meet have their own complex lives."
Milena is adept at detailing deeply personal experiences which are presented in a universal way; her feelings of vulnerability, confusion, indignation, curiosity, and hope provide a springboard for resonance. Whilst much of the album's poetic lyricism is rooted in the darker side of society and experience, a glimmer of daylight has always permeated GOLD's sonic output.
The sound of Why Aren't You Laughing? marries hypnotic gothic vibes with layers of blackened guitars, overlaid with atmospheric, often dream-like vocals. The multi-faceted album is complex in its construction, but by enlisting producer Jaime Gomez Arellano (Paradise Lost, Grave Pleasures), each element is given ample room to breathe - and indeed shine.
Why Aren't You Laughing? track list
1. He Is Not
2. Things I Wish I Never Knew
3. Why Aren't You Laughing?
4. Please Tell Me You're Not The Future
5. Taken By Storm
6. Wide-Eyed
7. Lack Of Skill
8. Truly, Truly Disappointed
9. Killing At Least 13
10. Mounting Into Bitterness
11. Till Death Do Us Part
As well as presenting Why Aren't You Laughing? at the 2019 edition of Roadburn Festival, GOLD will tour Europe and play Hellfest this summer. Full dates are as follows:
- 12.04.2019 - NL - Tilburg @ Roadburn Festival
- 25.04.2019 - DE - Berlin @ Urban Spree
- 26.04.2019 - PL - Warszawa @ Chmury
- 27.04.2019 - PL - Kraków @ Kwadrat
- 28.04.2019 - AT - Wien @ Arena
- 29.04.2019 - SI - Ljubljana @ Gromka
- 30.04.2019 - AT - Linz @ KAPU
- 01.05.2019 - DE - Jena @ Kassablanca
- 02.05.2019 - DE - Köln @ MTC
- 03.05.2019 - FR - Lille @ La Brulle Café
- 04.05.2019 - BE - Zottegem @ Maboel/Klsjr
- 10.05.2019 - DE - Giessen @ Post Valley Festival
- 11.05.2019 - NL - Utrecht @ Doomstad/EKKO
- 17.05.2019 - DE - Lohr @ Umsonst Und Drinnen
- 23.06.2019 - FR - Clisson @ Hellfest
- 12.07.2019 - LI - Anykščiai @ Devilstone
About GOLD
GOLD released its debut record Interbellum in 2012 on Germany’s cult label Ván Records. No Image followed in 2015 released by Ván in Europe and Profound Lore in the USA, and in 2017 GOLD released its most well-received record to date, the brooding and hypnotic Optimist. The latter was unanimously praised as a tour de force in songwriting, atmosphere, and existential innuendo. On each record, the song craft has deepened and widened as Milena Eva’s poetic lyrics and delivery have connected strongly to the depths of the soul. The band as a unit - rounded out by Thomas Sciarone, Kamiel Top and Jaka Bolič on guitars, Tim Meijer on bass, and Igor Wouters on drums - are primal and whirling; full of life, and yet a memento mori.
Recalling the experimentalism of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the dark and sweet beauty of Kristin Hersh and Throwing Muses, but firmly rooted in a powerful, yet artsy rock vibe, GOLD have tapped into something truly unique. The band’s delicate balance has caught the attention of the likes of Converge, with whom they toured in 2016 and 2017, as well as New Model Army, who invited GOLD as support for dates in 2018.
