Gold Spectacles bring listeners a cheery sounding track that brings up the concept of hiding behind stages presentations of ourselves and others.
“Lothario” is the first track back from a bit of a musical hiatus for this group. What a clever name and concept for a song….in the dictionary Lothario is defined as a man who behaves selfishly and irresponsibly in his sexual relationships with women. This sort of flirty nature is what I feel carries into the nostalgic yet warm peppy Spanish guitar that carries this track. In the case of this song, ‘Lothario’ is a bit more complex than just the dictionary definition. It looks beyond a kind and seductive personality to see that underneath they might not be entirely trustworthy. It’s sort of a game of chance, play to be played? With a Lothario, you’re never sure whether they have an ulterior motive. Maybe one day, they’ll be silent and gone and you’ll be left unraveled like you never really knew them at all.
Gold Spectacles say:
“We like to write a certain degree of juxtaposition into our songs. ‘Lothario’ is an upbeat track on the surface but if you dig deeper, you discover it’s riddled with dark undertones and flawed characters. This reflects the narrator's blind love for Lothario despite his obvious insincerity.”
“We wrote ‘Lothario’ in Norwegian countryside just before lockdown and completed the final version at our own studio, Gold Spectacles HQ, a few months later. The isolation of 2020 allowed us to reflect on the core elements of the track and strip away any distractions.”
Favouring a DIY approach, Gold Spectacles make baroque-pop. Sharing the writing, recording and production responsibilities, and creating their accompanying artwork, the multi-instrumentalist duo do everything “in-house”. Their sonic palette toes the line between electronic and organic landscapes, blending the two parallels with an overarching focus on the craft and delivery of a song.
In addition to their own artist project, Gold Spectacles also work as writer/producers on various other projects. Most recently, Gold Spectacles have been working with 2020 Ivor Novello Winner, Mysie having writing and production credits on much of her recent work.
Review by Hannah Schneider