Gold Connections first came on our radar when Car Seat Headrest's Will Toledo produced their self-titled 2017 EP, citing his long shared history with Gold Connections' Will Marsh and Marsh's influence on his own classic Teens Of Denial. (Think of them as the Kurt Vile and Adam Granduciel of William & Mary.) Now based in New Orleans and comprising Marsh plus his younger cousin Fraser Wright, Gold Connections have put out a lot of great music in the intervening years, including two full-lengths and a litany of EPs and singles. And now they've made a film.
Arena Rock For The Underground, out today, is a 35-minute "experimental concert film" directed by Wright. The project centers on a series of acoustic performances by Marsh and Wright shot around New Orleans, including one in the backseat of a car that might give you flashbacks to the Black Cab Sessions. Five songs from throughout the band's catalog are featured: new single "Iowa City" and 2021 one-off "Confession" plus "I Know" from 2024's Fortune, "Desert Land" from 2018's Popular Fiction, and "Turn" from their 2019 Like A Shadow EP.
Along with the music, we get "textured b-roll and a loose, space-cadet–style interview." According to Gold Connections, "The film captures the band’s current era in motion: late-night conversations, road-worn guitars, and the mystery of a haunted city." It definitely puts you in a certain headspace, hearing these guys banter in liminal space and translate their indie rock into a folksier format. The film is well worth a watch; check it out below, where you'll also find the audio streaming as a new EP.
Arena Rock For The Underground is out now via Well Kept Secret.
