The Golden Dregs release their personal new single ‘Vista’
The Golden Dregs have shared their latest track, ‘Vista’, the final single from their forthcoming record, On Grace & Dignity. The project is led by Benjamin Woods, a unique songwriter whose dextrous wordplay is paralleled by his hard-won experience. Woods wrote, recorded, and produced the record between his south London home and childhood bedroom in Truro. It was then mixed by Ali Chant, who also provided additional production.
‘Vista’ accompanies singles ‘Before We Fell From Grace’, ‘American Airlines’ and ‘Sundown Lake’, which all feature on the new album. Furthermore, Woods’ third album considers his home and how it shapes you as a person. In among the personal reflections and loss of innocence and inferiority inspired by authors Raymond Carver, Lydia Davis and Richard Hugo, Woods spins subtly interweaving narratives. He delves into survival, violence, loss and the limitations of community in the face of rapacious gentrification. It unfurls at a graceful pace, grounded by Woods’ rich baritone voice, which seems to resonate from his feet.
When it comes to the album’s visuals, Woods commissioned Bristol-based model maker Edie Lawrence to construct an HO-scale fictional Cornish village. Named Polgras, the 9 ft by 4 ft diorama features a viaduct, an estuary, a supermarket, new-build houses and industrial buildings. Every song from On Grace & Dignity is represented by a scene in the village.
Inspired by the Graham Green short story The Destructors, ‘Vista’ surveys the careless abandonment and recklessness of teenage boys burning down a house “for no reason than to see the burning world.” Benjamin Woods narrates this absolute vandalism of a house in an allegory for the world and all the wanton destruction contained within. ‘Vista’ echoes the nostalgia for his own childhood and those experiences as a curious teenager living in a quiet village.
The Golden Dregs produce what can only be described as the antithesis of destruction music. The soft psychedelic tones simply melt in your mouth. Equally notable are the finely tuned nimble guitar textures which weave throughout a skipping bass. Woods’ vocals are nothing groundbreaking, but the delivery seems insignificant to the lyrical content. This becomes most apparent with beautiful lines such as, ‘I speak with the confidence of a man who’s yet to learn of loss, I move with the purpose of a river only a fool would cross’.
The single has this swagger and conviction, and the songwriting is some of his best work to date. Additionally, Woods heads on a week-long run of free-entry in-store performances around the UK. The tour celebrates the release of On Grace & Dignity and will feature the new single.
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