George Ezra: Gold Rush Kid- Track by Track Review
The new album Gold Rush Kid by George Ezra is out now. Here are our thoughts.
Date published: 10th Jun 2022
George Ezra has been soundtracking the Summer since as early as 2014 when his debut album Wanted On Voyage featured hits such as Budapest and Cassy O'. He followed it up with 2018's Staying At Tamara's which saw songs such as Pretty Shining People and Shotgun take over not only the festival circuit but all the radio airwaves too. It has given him a reputation for Summer anthems, with his melodic pop music becoming inescapable.
He's the kind of artist that your mum would probably call "a lovely boy" which is probably enough reason for his music to receive a lot of stick. Make no mistake, however, that George is a hugely successful artist. We thought we'd dive into his new album Gold Rush Kid and see if he could branch out from his pigeonholed style.
Anyone For You (Tiger Lily)
This is a song that screams George Ezra, a light melodic rhythm that eventually spirals into an anthemic chorus destined for the festival circuit. In a song that speaks of dedication, George simply wants to be somebody's light. He has a knack for writing Summer anthems and whilst there may not be too much substance to the lyrics, it's made up for with its feel-good atmosphere.
Green Green Grass
A bit of a change happens here, with the track feeling like George is making an attempt to stray into Disco sounds. It leads into one of his most chantable chorus' to date. All it takes is a simplistic chant of "green, green, grass, blue, blue, sky" and there you have something easy for people to remember. It's a track that seems to lose a bit of the more engaging storytelling that George is capable of.
Gold Rush Kid
The lyrics here seem completely randomised here. A story where threads are randomly threaded together, it seems as though there's a real grab for a hook here. The emphasis is on what he can get people to remember rather than make any logical sense. The bombastic blares of trumpets and euphoric vocal harmonies make for some pretty decoration though.
Manila
We are greeted by some sort of distorted pan flute before George's distinctive vocals kick in. The type of song that is meant for holiday warm-up holidays, perhaps this album was born from a need to get away. Here he's dreaming of running off to Manila with someone and being squarely focused on spending time with them.
Fell In Love At The End Of The World
The tropical escape is interrupted by the sound of strings, an indicator of a change of pace. He paints of a picture of a couple deeply embraced at the end of the world, melodramatic territory that is given little context. He uses the phrase 'ride or die', is George Ezra entering his cringe era? More cynical people might argue that he was already in it.
Don't Give Up
He paints a picture of being overworked and overstressed and from that he needs relief. He finds that in those dreams of escape that have also creeped in and out of the album so far. The song sets a simple message of carrying on in spite of the more difficult moments.
Dance All Over Me
An ode to giving in completely to another person out of necessity, to not hold back and completely give in to your feelings. There's nothing about Gold Rush Kid so far that suggests that George Ezra fans will be disappointed, he hasn't added too much into his sound here, the subject matter is a little more downtrodden at times yet he still enthuses optimism in the end.
Dance All Over Me is a refreshingly dramatic track that has a genuine sense of drama and need throughout.
I Went Hunting
The acoustic guitar plucks along, as we get a sense of an isolated person. He needs to escape from himself for a little while, thinks about the direction that his life is heading in and seems to find no real answers. Punctuated by the strings of the violin, that feeling of not having all the answers is immediately relatable.
In The Morning
A more acoustic track, as the second half of the album, has taken a slower approach before after an initial explosion of bright melody. It's a move towards the more thoughtful songwriting we've been accustomed to, there seems to be a greater sense of authenticity in this track, as it flows gently into optimism.
Sweetest Human Being Alive
Backlit by piano keys, George sings of meeting his girl, wanting to dance with somebody that he's completely obsessed with. The kind of song that might give some people the ick, it's the type of loveliness that you can only expect from George Ezra. He'll give this person everything he can.
Love Somebody Else
"It's all for the taking, happiness and warmth" George begins on this track. When you feel as if you can't find much love for yourself, then give it all to somebody else he suggests. A call into the dark, it eventually assures you that these feelings don' last forever, both the good and the bad and you should cherish and persevere in equal measure.
The Sun Went Down
The album closer, it's suitably set at sundown. A bit of a slow burner, it's a bit of a ponderous ending note, with repeated lyrics it almost feels like a bit of a filler track. A bit of a disappointing end that has relatively little to say.
Overall, Gold Rush Kid is quite the mixed bag. It isn't afraid to embrace cringe at times which can be offputting and there's a clear emphasis on hooks in the first half of the album that focuses on festival-ready tunes rather than creating anything of substance. Yet there is a message of perseverance that can be found throughout, especially in the second half of the album where George Ezra's songwriting stands out. It can't save the fact though that this is likely his most uneven work to date.
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