Haunting vocals and eerily arpeggiated guitar notes introduce listeners to “Little Glass Jar” by Golden State. The Los Angeles-based indie/alt pop-rock duo consists of singer-songwriter and guitarist James Grundler and Marc Boggio, credited for guitars and ‘sounds.’ Those sounds are more readily apparent on other tracks from Golden State’s newest full-length album, Blood Finger Prick, compared to this latest single. “Little Glass Jar” feels like a much more straightforward, charging right out of the gate kind of song. It only gets more intense from there.
“The song, along with the album, was written during a time of crossroads in 2020,” says Grundler. “Moving through the death of my father, and then the uncertainty of the Lockdown, I was pushed more and more into the feeling of being trapped. Sealed in our own individual aquariums like a science experiment. It felt like straight out of an episode of the Twilight Zone.”
Unfortunately, so many individuals faced similar experiences over the last few years. Artists and audiences have been really empathetic to the results of the global experience brought on by COVID-19. In Blood Finger Prick, Golden State delivers personal and unapologetic musings that are easily relatable lyrically and comprehensively dynamic musically.
“Little Glass Jar” is barely able to contain its raw energy, inspired by thoughts of ‘the rat race,’ which Grundler says is “Where you think you are just mulling through life doing your thing but instead you are just entertainment for the elites.”
Prior to the formation of Golden State James Grundler founded L.A. alt-rock band Paloalto whose two albums, Paloalto and Heroes and Villains were produced by Rick Rubin and released under Rubin’s record label American Recordings. The band had a number of successful singles including “Breathe In” and “Fade Out/In” before it eventually dissolved.
“There was a need for a new outlet that wasn’t going to be stifled by ‘the bottom line’, says Grundler. “I started writing for myself. You know that raw excitement you get when you feel something that you haven’t felt since you were a kid? That’s ‘Golden State.’”
That raw excitement has been readily available thanks to the release of “All Roads Lead Home” in 2011. From there Golden State has released a number of singles, an EP, and now Blood Finger Prick, a fantastic specimen of a modern full-length album of indie hits that refuse to hold back.
Find this and more great music on the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixture playlist on Spotify.
Daniel Warren Hill is an American musician, writer, and motivational speaker. He is best known as the frontman for Washington DC area Alternative Rock band YellowTieGuy, as co-founder of Capitol Groove Collective, and increasing the exposure of artists on a global scale through his work with Alchemical Records.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
