With his exceptional shape-shifting musical output, it’s no wonder that cult LA songwriter Marlon Rabenreither has attracted the eye of high-profile figures ranging from Phoebe Bridgers to Mazzy Star. After performing alongside both artists, the latest direction his Gold Star moniker will take is one of jangling, lo-fi heartland rock akin to that of the similarly locally loved Omaha musician David Nance. Today he’s sharing the new single “Up All Night” to preview this new direction while also announcing that the album it will appear on, Headlights U.S.A Parts I & II, will arrive on September 30.
Built upon an uptempo drum machine loop and recorded in a living room, the track also shares the same sonic space as early recordings from The War on Drugs. “I felt that the original demo had a kind of urgent, fun, unfinished quality to it that I didn’t want to lose, so we kept in pretty much everything from the initial sketch,” Rabenreither shares. “I did the vocals through a cheap plastic karaoke microphone that I am kind of obsessed with.”
As for the upbeat lyrics, he continues that they were meant as a sort of escapist fantasy to fall back on during quarantine. “‘Up All Night’ was created during that listless pandemic period of canceled tours and unemployment checks,” he continues. “I felt pretty directionless, but I wrote songs throughout. Lyrically I was imagining a more optimistic, happier future and recording at home lowered the stakes and let me experiment with a mood and lyrical content that people don’t usually associate with my work.”
For the video, Rabenreither tapped director Clayton Hunt to film some blurry scenes of LA nightlife to pair with the song, almost as if standing in for the foggy memories of a fun night out as the prospect dimmed in the early months of COVID.
Check out the video below. You can pre-order the album here, and find a handful of upcoming shows in the LA area here.
