‘I Don’t Feel Today’ is the retro psychedelic-rock anthem from Tottenham’s common goldfish

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Olivia Rayner

With a nod to the late 60s psychedelic rock movement, and more recently the 90s Britpop era, common goldfish’s sound boasts a nostalgic familiarity, whilst spinning new threads in contemporary music. Continuing this fascination with bringing the sounds of the past into the present, the artist delivers third single ‘I Don’t Feel Today’, releasing via MAX RAD’s independent label Three Sign Records. Opening with the timeless image of “walking in the rain”, the Tottenham-based musician and producer puts the listener in the mindspace of a generation increasingly disillusioned with and disconnected from society.

“We are living more and more on top of each other but for some reason we’re becoming increasingly isolated from one another. The rise of independence and individualism has been at the expense of community and a sense of belonging,” expresses common goldfish.

The rattling movement of the song’s 90s rock drum beats and relentless bass rhythm reflects the non-stop pace of life that we’re forced to live at, especially in a hustling metropolis like London where our closest companions become the phones and laptops that occupy much of our time .

“With the pace of life getting faster and faster, we’re spending more and more time in front of screens on a never-ending quest for instant gratification. I do worry that we’re losing our sense of reality and what matters most – human interaction and connection.”

While the track is peppered with the songwriter’s downcast sentiment, ‘I Don’t Feel Today’ isn’t designed to bring the listener’s mood down, rather common goldfish wants to highlight the realities of the gilded cage we’ve built around us in the hope that more awareness might encourage a renewed sense of community, belonging and connection.

As common goldfish continues, “Without wanting to bring too much of a downer, I think it’s important to highlight so we can do more about it. I think the rise of the festival scene in recent years has been a great antidote for example – Bringing people together and spreading joy and positivity. I think it's really important for society.”

It’s not only common goldfish’s words that convey this growing feeling of isolation in our society, but he also injects the instrumentation with so much emotion, whether that be the euphoric 60s synths, bouncing piano chords, hazy production, layered vocals, or the aforementioned dashing bass or frenetic mix of organic and electronic beats. Every space in the track is filled with movement while his voice stands out as the lone individual who’s “lost my sense of direction”.

“I felt the song’s theme just seemed to compliment the song’s driving breakbeat and gritty base line. There’s a couple of release points in the track, when the stab synth comes in, which gives the sense of being pushed to breaking point with something that’s been bottled up for so long.”

About

common goldfish is the brainchild of Jonty Lovell, a Tottenham-based producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His debut single ‘Feel The Fuzz’ was released on 10th March 2022 and received critical acclaim from the likes of Clash, LDN Magazine, The Most Radicalist, Joy of Violent Movement, This Song Is Sick and many more. This was shortly followed up by sophomore song ‘Shout Louder’, a summer indie anthem that also saw support from Backseat Mafia, CULTR, CLOUT and Lost In The Manor to name a few. Alongside all this online activity, common goldfish has been drumming up excitement for coming releases through a series of public gigs set in iconic locations across London, including a gig in Tottenham’s DIY skatepark and set on top of a canal bloat while floating down Regent’s Canal.

The artist’s vibrant ear-catching melodies laid over a combination of breakbeats and funk-inspired bass lines create an irresistible groove that stirs a sense of optimism. His sound is underpinned by formative memories of his youth and childhood, as he anecdotally recalls:

“Growing up I was exposed to a lot of music, with my family all having quite different tastes. Deciding who had control of the CD player could often lead to arguments, but as the youngest child, I seem to remember rarely getting to choose. The soundtrack of my early childhood featured the likes of The Beatles, The Police, Moby, Blur, Gorillaz and Eminem and Dr Dre - it was quite an eclectic mix that lured me in.”

In his teenager years, it would be the impactful simplicity of The xx’s first album, and in particular the minimalist guitar riffs, that would further inspire Lovell. “I was by no means a great technical guitarist, and so I think this inspired confidence to continue writing music,” he shares. Then as a university graduate, he really began to take music seriously, honing his craft on Ableton with an old laptop that his friend gave him. This is where the electronic edge to his sound came in, being heavily influenced by the likes of Floating Points, Four Tet, Nightmares on Wax and Caribou. Lovell took his self-taught production style, eclectic taste in music and finessed live elements of the guitar, bass, keys and vocals to at last launch his solo project - common goldfish.

With further singles set for release this year, common goldfish has been tipped as a one to watch in 2022.

Source Olivia Rayner

September 23, 2022 9:53am ET by Olivia Rayner  

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