motel void

MOTEL VOID: Last month you’ve released your new single ‘Another You’. What was the recording and writing process behind this track?

WIDOWS GOLD: Our writing process often starts separately and comes together once my wife and I feel we both have something worth sharing the other.

I had been composing what ultimately became the music for “Another You” and Madeline had been writing what became the lyrics based on a prompt from her father. Mads and I had tried for a second child for 2 years with no avail. It was a really confusing and difficult experience ultimately ending in two miscarriages. Some time after processing the next chapter of our life, Paul (my father-in-law) texted my wife saying she should write about the experience. He went as far as suggesting some lyrics “I’ll never have another you, but it’s okay because I have you.” Or at least something along those lines… a week or so after receiving that text, Mads came to me saying she had lyrics to that progression I had been strumming on the couch.

The recording process for this one was the complete opposite from our typical approach. I decided to attempt a rough demo of the track in our living room with acoustic and electrics guitars and keys. Mads came upstairs and heard what I was working on and said that we should build off it as the finished product. This was our first release entirely recording in our living room and not featuring drums. The song felt complete as it was.

MOTEL VOID: Will it be part of your upcoming record?

WIDOWS GOLD: It is actually a stand alone single. We may release an alternate version including live drums down the line, just for fun.
We do have an EP coming spring 2025 and are in the writing process of our second album as well.

MOTEL VOID: You draw inspiration from the CBGB-era and early 2000s NY rock revival. Are there any specific bands that you like?

WIDOWS GOLD: Our influences are always evolving and rotating, but those eras consistently provide inspiration.

Everything from the Ramones, Sonic Youth, Blondie to The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Walkmen.

We also listen to a lot of pop though too. Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles etc…

However, the new Fontaines D.C. album was our favorite record of 2024 and has been on repeat.

We’re actually inspired by a lot of Brit Pop and Post-Punk – The Smiths, The Jam, Pretenders, Joy Division, English Teacher.

MOTEL VOID: You’re based in Los Angeles How would you describe the city’s current music scene and your place within it?

WIDOWS GOLD: The current scene in LA has been heavily dominated by the resurgence of Shoegaze at the moment.

We are not a Shoegaze band but are definitely influenced by bands adjacent to that genre (i.e. Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies). A lot of our music is mid-tempo and features overdriven guitars, so we are able to play on bills with shoegaze bands without trouble – but we also make sense on more pop-driven rock lineups as well. We honestly prefer to play shows that cross genres rather than have the audience sit through three of essentially the same band. It’s always more fun for each band to stand out on their own right.

MOTEL VOID: Do you have any plans for a tour or live performances in 2025?

WIDOWS GOLD: Our dream is to start doing some small tour runs. We have family along the west coast and in the midwest, so that’s likely where we’ll start! But we’re always playing live locally. Our next show is on January 18th in Long Beach, CA at Vine. It’s a release show for our upcoming single entitled “Thoughts & Prayers” (dropping Jan 17, 2025). Stay tuned for that one!