Back in August, Hawaii-born and LA-based songwriter Brandon Gomez (a.k.a. Ark Patrol) released the final third of his 2024 EP series culminating in a full-length collection titled GEM—made up of packages of songs called G, E, and M. That release date was followed by several weeks of touring which began in his now-native Southern California and wrapped up close to home in Honolulu, granting him the opportunity to record a special home-island “Neighborhoods” set highlighting the album track “Top of the World.” “There’s a highway on the Big Island called Mamalahoa Highway that stretches from my hometown, Kamuela, to my high school in Honoka’a,” he explains of the video’s location. “The highway has old and new branches, and about halfway through the old Mamalahoa Highway are lava tubes you can reach on foot.”
While it’s hard to make out his surroundings during the performance itself, the video features incredible footage from the highway at dusk, with the soothing electronic sounds of “Top of the World” feeling like an apt soundtrack to what we’re seeing. “It felt so right to return home to perform this,” he adds. “Living in Hawaii is the type of high you might not even realize you’re on until you leave. I also want to dedicate this performance to my brother, Christian. I miss him dearly.”
Check out the performance below.
