It is that time of year again where we start looking for something to take us out of the monotony of the colder months and usher in the warmer days, the memory building adventures and general summertime shenanigans. But what would all of that be without the perfect album? It needs a soundtrack. And I have just the record.

Back in full force with their staggering surfer punk/folk interlaced with punk tendencies, the, now, quartet from Athens, GA that you should have been listening to since at least 2011 has returned with eleven tracks of unadulterated Little Gold brilliance in the form of Spectral Sight.

Two years and five months since the release of Weird Freedom the drifting, with shades of ambient, rolling rock style of Little Gold returns without missing a beat, reaffirming just how much I enjoy their music. Though Sight doesn’t carry the same dark, swelling sound Freedom conveyed it hooked me right in. Christian DeRoeck, now accompanied by Taylor Chmura (guitar/vocals), John McLean (bass/vocals) and Chase Merritt (drums), returns to form and not a moment too soon; my vinyl copy of Weird Freedom was looking for a break.

It takes a moment, after I stepped back and evaluated the lyrics, to comprehend just what I love so much about Little Gold. Songs driven by “My dog is a loyal dog/is a faithful dog/and he stays right by my side wherever we walk” and “We go for a ride/in your four-by-four/you take my hand/and say you don’t really like me anymore” reach into the realm of the old joke about country music, but when laid out like Little Gold does, it become a fascinating spin on Americana. Their spin, however, is one without glam or flowery visions and that it what makes them so great. Each album they release is another I proudly add to my collection. Just as I do with their previous release, I see myself coming back to Spectral Sight again and again.

It is very uncommon to come across a sound like Little Gold. Apart from their magnetic rock foundation, story-weaving lyrics, talent for curating a middle ground of country and dark rock, and their ability to craft the go-to summer sound, if we looked past all of that, their ability to stand out in a crowd should catch your attention. And one thing is for certain, if there is a monopoly on euphoric rock, it is held comfortably in the hand of Little Gold.

Greg is a regular contributor and co-founder at Nanobot. Being a vinyl junkie he can confirm that the only Little Gold better than Little Gold is Little Gold on vinyl.