A Chat with GLDN (30.09.22)
The brainchild of musician Nicholas Golden, GLDN is a project that is completely undefinable, unforgettable and inimitable. We speak with GLDN about his new album Hemophilia, what music means to him, musical inspiration and future plans.
OSR: What inspires you to make music?
GLDN: Oddly enough, that’s a bit of a complicated question to answer. I’ve always been a creative person and art has always been my main mode of expression. Having been involved in so many different mediums of art, I never thought I’d throw myself so fully into something like I have with music. I can’t say for certain why that is, but I’d guess it’s just the fact that it allows me to express the parts of myself that I can’t express in day-to-day life. The thoughts, feelings, and ideas that might otherwise seem over the top or strange feel very much at home in the music.
OSR: What made you decide to pursue a music career?
GLDN: I always knew that whatever career I ended up pursuing would be something in a creative field. That was never really a question for me. Even as a child, I remember feeling stunted if I wasn’t able to do something creative regardless of what that might be. Music was always a big part of that – I’ve always been obsessed with film scores and I was classically trained as a vocalist. As I got older, I felt that I had something to say and a story to tell, and the need to do that was far too great to ignore. It was something that I couldn’t really achieve through singing songs someone else had written or acting as characters someone else created. I think that’s what led to my decision to pursue music.
OSR: What can you tell us about your album Hemophilia?
GLDN: Hemophilia is a remix album containing re-imagined versions of the songs from the First Blood EP, as well as several new songs and covers. It was something that came from a time of isolation. I spent much of the summer on a farm in upstate New York with my friend and creative partner, Collin Cleaver. Being so disconnected from the world as I know it – going from a city of ten million people to a town of three hundred – really pushed me creatively. It’s so easy to get lost in the day-to-day when you’re in a city like New York. Once I’d released First Blood, I felt like there was more I could do with the material and more I wanted to say. That’s how Hemophilia came about.
OSR: Did you face any challenges when creating the album?
GLDN: Overall, it was a much simpler process than the creation of First Blood. It took me about a week to make the remixes. When I’m feeling really inspired and I have the time, ideas just keep coming whether I want them to or not. This was one of those times. It wasn’t without its challenges, however. I think the most challenging thing in a general sense is deciding what’s good enough to release. Whatever I put out is out there forever. There’s no taking it back. So, when I look back ten years from now, is this release something I’ll be proud of or will I regret it? That’s the kind of thing that’s always running through my mind, not only when I’m making the music but also when I’m mixing and sequencing an album.
OSR: What was the most enjoyable part of creating Hemophilia?
GLDN: For me, the most enjoyable part had to be filming and editing the music videos. When Collin Cleaver and I filmed the video for ‘Parasite’, from the First Blood EP, we knew we wanted something grainy, distorted, and almost unpleasant to watch, like a nightmarish scene from a David Lynch film. Since we made the decision early on that it was going to be that way, there was a certain sense of relief knowing that it didn’t matter if the footage looked like shit because that was the point. The song is loud, messy, and angry, and we wanted the video to reflect that same feeling,
With the videos from Hemophilia, that wasn’t the case. While we did briefly consider continuing that low-quality grainy theme, I ultimately decided that I didn’t want to retread the same idea. Filming in 4K is a lot less forgiving than filming on a used digital camera from the early 2000s. It presented a lot of challenges, but in the end, it made it that much more exciting.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
GLDN: As I said before, music is about expression for me, but in a greater sense, I think music is about connection. It’s a fucked up world out there and you can barely open your mouth without getting attacked by someone who disagrees with you. I think music is what allows people to feel seen, heard, and understood even when they’re being shit on for their opinions or beliefs by those around them.
OSR: What do you hope people take from your music in general?
GLDN: Well, other than feeling that sense of connection, I hope that people will look at my music and feel a sense of excitement and danger. Maybe it’s just me, but so much of the music that’s being released these days feels so safe and devoid of any emotion and humanity. It’s all so clean and boring, from lyrics to composition to production to performance. I’m tired of hearing the same old thing. I just want people to feel like music can be dangerous and unpredictable again.
OSR: If you had a theme song for your life, what would the song be?
GLDN: That’s something that would probably change every other week, but right now I’d have to say ‘Irresponsible Hate Anthem’ by Marilyn Manson. It’s funny how something that was released so long ago can feel even more relevant 25+ years later.
OSR: What is the most exciting and least exciting aspect of being a musician?
GLDN: I think the most exciting aspect is probably the creation of the music. It can be so frustrating sometimes, but the feeling of “oh, there’s something here” that you get when you write something really great is a feeling that can’t be matched.
The least exciting aspect is probably the way that artists are treated now. Everyone has to make a public statement about everything that ever happens. Personally speaking, I’d rather let the music speak for itself instead of making some self-important public statement. That kind of thing inevitably turns into a total shit show anyway because someone will always have a problem with something you say or don’t say, regardless of how innocuous the statement might be.
OSR: Do you have future plans as GLDN?
GLDN: Definitely! I’m writing new music now and, hopefully, we will have something new out before the end of the year. Next year, who knows – maybe a small tour? We’re just gonna keep pushing forward and take it day by day.
Many thanks to GLDN for speaking with us! For more from GLDN check out his official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
