New York based melodic hardcore punk band Such Gold will release their sophomore studio album, The New Sidewalk, on November 14th 2014 via Razor & Tie / Cooking Vinyl.
The New Sidewalk is the follow up to their 2012 debut album, Misadventures, which debuted at #6 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. Their new album was produced by Bill Stevenson (Descendents, A Wilhelm Scream, Propagandhi) at the Blasting Room in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
The New Sidewalk is a huge leap forward for the band creatively, with the band pushing themselves further and further away from the pop-punk scene they came up in and instead focusing on being an innovative, forward-thinking hardcore punk band even if it brings some tension to the listener. The album twists and turns, divebombing from riff to riff as time signatures switch up almost on a whim. Keys and textures change with an unrelenting dynamic intensity.
Such Gold lead vocalist/guitarist Ben Kotin admits, “We were really nervous going in; we didn’t know what to expect in the studio. On The New Sidewalk, we had a lot more time to really do what we want. The atmosphere was a little more relaxed. We got the chance to just hang out with Bill and company every day, shoot the shit about music, listen to his jokes and stories. It was a really comfortable setting.”
Kotin isn’t afraid to tell it like it is nor is he ashamed of his station in life; he is discussing The New Sidewalk’s creation moments after finishing mopping out toilets at a kids’ summer camp, his job for the summer. The struggle is real and relatable, and his lyrics reflect that; his band’s music is the canvas on which he paints, and those canvases keep taking an increasingly interesting shape.
Such Gold formed in 2009 and have worked tirelessly since, having released 2012’s full length Misadventures, as well as 4 split 7”s and two EPs, Stand Tall and Pedestals. The band has toured around the globe with Comeback Kid, Strung Out, A Wilhelm Scream, The Story So Far, Stick To Your Guns, The Wonder Years, and many more. Such Gold is Ben Kotin (guitar/vocals), Nate Derby (guitar), Jon Markson (bass/vocals) and Matt Covey (drums).