Look, I know we just talked about Fulton Lights’ track “A Little Bit Low” less than two weeks ago. And I know we’re going to profile the project’s upcoming record Best World when it drops on November 6th. But why not give you another taste of the musical works of Andrew Spencer Goldman?
This is “Nautilus Tattoo”, a new track from the body of work that Goldman has emerged over the past year. You know what a nautilus is: It’s a spiral shell with all sorts of fun designs, one of the earliest creatures in the evolutionary chain, still here on the planet after millions and millions of years. And of course, you know what a tattoo is: It’s a design traced into the skin, a permanent connection between flesh and ink.
On this track, Goldman channels that theme of permanent connection in a song about endless and exhaustive romance. The metaphor of the tattoo – “Trace that shell of faded blue” – is Goldman expressing undying passion for the object of the song. He sings “What would I do / Without that nautilus tattoo”, not just referring to the tattoo, but linking his love to something timeless, ancient, and so deeply ingrained that without it, he feels he wouldn’t exist. It is as much a part of his DNA as the root information still lingering from our days as one-celled organisms.
The track’s a slow burn, with the music carrying as much passion as the words. Goldman’s voice is soulful above shimmering guitars and bells, with understated percussion carrying the beat like waves lapping against the shore. There’s just enough on the low end to create a hum that vibrates the heart, like love deep in the pit of its chambers that – if it were to disappear – would cause a deafening silence. This one’s for those who yearn, solidified by the repetition in the chorus: “What can I do / I’m helpless for you / Just fumbling through.”
Again, Goldman’s musical project drops another banger ahead of Best World, the new album from Fulton Lights, which is out November 6th. Take a listen to “Nautilus Tattoo” below, and stay tuned for more coverage about the upcoming record.
Written by Will Sisskind
