Gold Spectacles are a London-based outfit with a polished-yet-DIY aesthetic who draw inspiration from artists as broad as Paul Simon, Lykke Li and Phoenix.
Having released their eponymous debut LP in 2019, Gold Spectacles have had a busy start to 2023, producing music with Mysie, SOFY, Johnny Stimson, and Viddy, and also releasing their EP, More Heart Than Sense (Pt. 1). PseudoFriends is the first song from follow-up EP, More Heart Than Sense (Pt. 2), and the source of both EPs’ titles.
PseudoFriends is a dive into the kind of connections that portray themselves as more meaningful than they are — superficial connections that can be mistaken for real friendship.
The song is built around a central bassline that vibrates with a kind of life, almost a growl, loose yet heavy feeling. Indeed, the band note this is where the song started:
“We’ve been sitting on this one for a little while. The bassline came first. We spent a few hours jamming to it before we had solidified the lyric. The rest then followed pretty quickly. We had just got off the phone to an old friend who had been really let down by her mates, and we wanted to write about this and the idea of not ever knowing who to put your trust in. Being burnt by who you think are dependable protagonists in your life is never fun. Don’t worry, they’re doing a lot better now!”
The magic in PseudoFriends, however, is in the details Gold Spectacles have created around it. Whilst there is an easy, freeform aesthetic here, it feels like every detail has been sweated over… the percussion, the interplay between the vocals, little guitar licks, and the touches of instrumentation all feel meticulously planned. It is this subtle attention to detail that shines, with the song having a lived-in feel to it, whilst benefitting from a highly produced, detailed aesthetic. Check it out below.