Hi Frisco’s new single ‘Gold’ is a finessed demonstration of “weird/blown out” rock that pulls our minds towards the psychedelic worlds of bands like The Flaming Lips, Tempesst and Mystery Jets. For the pair who hail from Northern English towns, rock is part of the cultural discourse that they grew up with, and you can hear that fondness throughout. Yet, as with the song’s metallic namesake, the genre is flexible; to be molded by Hi Frisco into something new. There’s more meaning embedded within ‘Gold’, as they reveal: “lyrically, the song is a lament about trying and being knocked back, by myself and my own insecurities. The chorus line ‘as pure as snow, as strong as gold’ is having that innocent blind ambition to make it all work out somehow, the seeming invincibility of youth, and unwavering drive which I always struggled with. For me, it’s a song of aspiration.” No doubt, the anthemic, concert-ready sound that Hi Frisco delivers with such exuberance in ‘Gold’ is something to spark aspiration within the listener as well. Turn it up first, apologise to the neighbours later. - Hannah Thacker