‘One of Atlanta’s most valuable rock & roll exports.’ Gringo Star capture a timeless sound in minimalistic new single “Told Me Once Before.”
Brothers Nick and Peter Furgiuele are the foundational creatives behind Atlanta-based Gringo Star, whose unique merger of influences spanning decades of R&B and British Invasion rock & roll have caught the attention of fans and critics alike. Since the release of the band’s 2008 album, “All Y’all,” Gringo Star has been featured by Pitchfork, Consequence of Sound, Paste Magazine, KEXP & more; and performed alongside artists such as Cat Power and Feist to The Black Angels and Weezer, Wavves, And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, and their Atlanta-based contemporaries Black Lips.
With five albums now under their belts, “Told Me Once Before” ventures into an unexplored territory of sorts for Gringo Star, in what Peter Furgiuele says “represents one of the most minimalistic approaches to recording a song we’ve ever done.” He notes, “Most of the instruments were recorded live through a handful of mics. We tried to capture most of the song in the room live as a band on our ‘70s Neumann u87 microphone and later had our great friend Dave Claassen come in and add the string parts. It was a song I wrote during Covid isolation and Nick and I got together soon after and finished off the loose ends.”
“Told Me Once Before” generally provides listeners with comparable feels to that of “Perfect Day” by Lou Reed. It feels optimistic while also carrying with it the weight of something deeper buried beneath the surface. The result is an instant timeless classic that lends itself to moments of quiet reflection echoed by the laissez-faire delivery of the vocals, or resolute moments of rousing inspiration alluded to by the string arrangement and accompanying chimes. The song’s incredible dynamics and versatility urge listeners to hit repeat and continue exploring the instrumentation, the lyrics, and wide range of feels expressed throughout the track.
Find “Told Me Once Before” on the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixture Playlist on Spotify, as well as YouTube, Apple Music, and more.
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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