Band:	Gggolddd
Album:	Why Aren't You Laughing?
Style:	Experimental rock, Post rock
Release date:	April 05, 2019
A review by:	X-Ray Rod

01. He Is Not
02. Things I Wish I Never Knew
03. Why Aren't You Laughing?
04. Please Tell Me You're Not The Future
05. Taken By Storm
06. Wide-Eyed
07. Lack Of Skill
08. Truly, Truly Disappointed
09. Killing At Least 13
10. Mounting Into Bitterness
11. Till Death Do Us Part

Some bands play a certain genre. Others, like Gold, would rather deconstruct it down to the most crucial components, reassemble it, and make it their very own.

Even today, the "post-" tag continues to be a somewhat confusing term for many. Gold found nothing better to do than to give us all a big ol' "fuck you" and describe their music as "post-everything". You know what the most infuriating thing about it is? They totally nailed it.

For the past week I've been so intrigued at their take on post-rock/metal. It's natural to have some preconceptions for what to expect within a genre. In this case, it might be mostly long instrumental songs with gargantuan crescendos. Gold isn't bothered to comply with such basic expectations and prefer to contain the different formulas on smaller tracks. Yes, formulas as in plural. Right after two very heartfelt tracks, we are treated to the title track, which gives off a perfectly executed post-punk groove. Their contemporary take on it makes it sound as if the style was something that happened just a year ago. Moments of pure bliss and ecstasy are reached in harsh, all-encompassing crescendos that wouldn't feel out of place within many of the popular post-black bands of recent years. These massive moments of "catch and release" can be credited to the incredible work on the guitars, which is not surprising given the connections to The Devil's Blood.

Gold's latest album displays all its colors without much effort. Why Aren't You Laughing? changes voices, but never the overall vibe. The high level of accessibility can only be attributed to brilliant songwriting. Some songs are so catchy that you could imagine them on the radio? If it weren't for the depressive take on the lyrics. It's moody music in disguise! This tone is further pushed forwards thanks to Milena's incredible vocals. Her somewhat deadpan voice evokes such strong feelings of detachment, like someone just starting to relive her life after being in a catatonic state. For weeks I've been trying to think of someone that approaches her serious yet highly emotional style. While their pipes are certainly different, I believe Milena's and Dido's ("doom-pop" queen, if you ask me) presences are cut from the same cloth of approachable distress. Infectiously catchy in all its moody glory.

The first half of Gold's discography felt somewhat rough around the edges, with Optimist being the album in which the band saw their true potential and found their very own sound. Why Aren't You Laughing? shows a band honing their skills to perfection.

So what are you waiting for? For fuck's sake, just laugh already! Would it kill you to smile?