A touch of funk goes a long way;. It’s a tricky substance; it’s the sound of soul bending into new shapes under pressure; the feeling of life one step out of step; the quickening heartbeat of turbulent currents deep under the civilizational veneer, and the urge to dance along as they begin to break through the surface.
In one shot, funk is both a symptom of and antidote to the world at large. It takes a band of contradictional natures to carry that heaviness with a light touch.
It all coalesces in the hands of The Gold Souls on Downtown Sound, the band’s second full-length record out on October 29th.. It portrays the last few years in the life of the Sacramento quintet; one half filled with non-stop touring, writing, and personnel changes, the other half trying to survive as a creative force in the new landscape of lockdown: indefinite gig postponements, figuring out how to do collaborative music videos from home, steering the fine line between hope and worry. “We kept the dream alive, sharpening our tools at home. We’ve all matured a lot and we’ve grown closer as a group, coming out the other side of all of this even more inspired to share our music with the world” says vocalist Juniper Waller.
The group, rounded out by, Darius Upshaw (guitar), Alex Severson(keys), Billy D. Thompson( drums), and Avery Jeffry (newly on bass) hits the groove square-on with numbers like “ 94 Chevy”, an ode to living the fast life in a slow van, and “Streetcall Recall”, a defiant call-out to all cat-callers and nightcrawlers who bring a slimy vibe to any gig and add zero cool to the funk equation.
Downtown Sound also makes room for more introspective, yearning numbers like “Heart Curves” dealing with the mystifying (and consistently broken) rules of attraction, and “Tears in My Ears”, a warm ballad about trying to lift oneself out of the more serious, and much less fun, kind of funk--the spiritual kind.
The title track, “Downtown Sound” , and “Got It”, showcase the two faces of up-and-coming Sacramento. One, alluded to in the former, is the city of slogans and redevelopment, obscuring a dissipating core. The latter, acting as a love letter to their hometown, is accompanied by a music video featuring an animated flight through various city landmarks. It shows the best of our unique civic spirit, blessed by a close-knit and lively music scene which creates purely for the love of it.
On their sophomore album, The Gold Souls come out swinging with more lyrical punch and fortified funk cred-- though they can still be as sweet and breezy as an autumn afternoon. As drummer Billy D. Thompson explains, “Downtown Sound is the product of having a few years to develop and hone our message and energy. It feels more purposeful and cohesive. We wanted to firmly establish our funk influence, so when folks hear this record, they'll know The Gold Souls bring boogie to the show.” Boogie they do, and until you get the opportunity to pack a dance floor and see them in action, do yourself a favor and check out the latest musical postcard from a young band at the crossroads, self-described as “Overworked, underpaid young(ish) artists, feeling the city and world change around us. Navigating and reconciling our experiences, both individual and collective, as we move through the rollercoaster of life.”
—Andrew Russell