Small Worlds, Golden Fang’s sixth album, is said to be inspired by past relationships; however, the title itself is an interesting one that instantly provokes thought.
When I think of the term small worlds, I think of our immediate communities. Things like getting to know your neighbour, and respecting the views of others, even if they are different to yours. No tall order in a modern world that grows more extreme by the day, but it’s this level of compassion and understanding within our communities which can lead to the middle ground where real progress can be made. It all starts on the street level and not within the walls of power: indeed, our own small worlds.
Over their sixth album reign, Golden Fang have been earnest masters of finding magic in the mundane. The four-piece, singer/guitarist, Carl Redfern, guitarist Teo Treloar, bassist Justin Tauber and percussionist Joe Parkin, have spent the last decade shaping the imaginations for the devoted few with a brand of nostalgia that has an uncanny knack of stirring up the embers. Those memories that somehow resurface after years buried in the deepest parts of your mind.
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There’s a humility to Redfern’s songwriting that – alongside the likes of fellow Australians Michael Plater and most recently Juno Point – is simply unpretentious. Oozing with a civic vitality that we can all relate to, on Small Worlds – Golden Fang’s much anticipated follow-up to 2021’s Man With Telltale Scars – once again that local energy runs deep.
Featuring vocalist Donna Amini, on Sail at Dawn, Golden Fang begin with a waltz that rings with guitars and Parkin’s march-like drum patterns, forming the foundation to a story about a man leaving to sea one last time. The song itself, imbuing the raw spirit one needs to tackle the day ahead.
The motorik alt-rock charm of How Many Demons sees Redfern posing the first of many tough questions throughout Small Worlds (“Do you wanna know / How Many Demons are etched into your soul”?). Blue Boy follows, as Treloar’s chiming guitars set the breezy backdrop to a story focusing on one’s struggles with the world (“Blue boy / That’s enough now / please come home”).
With a locality that’s there for all to hear, see and feel, the same protagonist of Blue Boy could also feature during the excellent Parramatta, as Redfern parts with another stirring performance (“Get your head out of the toilet bowl / Do yourself a favour, mate / And take some control”).
Perhaps the most earnest message comes during Let Yourself Go. Exploring one’s slow decay whilst trying to maintain those sparks of magic in mundane surroundings, here Redfern perhaps asks the toughest question of all. (“I’m in one of those moods / Where I just got to know / Are you happy? Are you happy with me?”). Simple, yet jarring, because, well… how can one measure happiness?
It certainly doesn’t arrive with Dirty Hands. What starts off with marauding guitars quickly turns cold with a brutal atmosphere as another dark pictures emerges; not least because of its protagonist (a man who walks out on his family), but also because it’s a scenario we’ve all known once upon a time, (“Burn your bridges forget about the kids / It won’t really heal worth going back anywhere / You irresponsible prick”).
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Then there’s a stunning finale, Ghost. Initially, both it and Sail at Dawn were written as one song, but while the pair provide the bookends to Small Worlds, there’s no conceptional thread that runs through its middle. Simply put, a song like Ghost is far too good to leave on the cutting floor.
Pulsating with an emotional intensity as fierce as ever, Ghost is one of the best songs Golden Fang has written. Redfern provides a heart-wrenching snapshot, allowing the listener to draw their own conclusion. With opening lyrics such as “Rattle around this house like a ghost / Sifting through the ashes of everything you love the most / Don’t think you’ll find any answers,” who needs a knife to be cut in half? It’s that “Sitting on the bed / Smoking / Shaking your head” moment that Nick Cave delivered on Ghosteen’s title track. The reaction, equally flooring.
Small Worlds sees Golden Fang expand on their songcraft. Whilst perhaps unintentional, there’s a cinematic quality to these songs, and it’s down to Redfern’s ability to create vivid characters. Take Ghost, the story of the family travelling down to the docks, waving away their loved one for the last time, (“Where they cried / And they waved”). It’s these deeply unsettling moments that form as composites to one’s own history, whether it be past, present or both. That’s why Golden Fang are true specials. Their songs always provoke an emotional response that underlines reality. And on Small Worlds, it’s as real as it gets.
Small Worlds is out now. Purchase from Bandcamp.
Sun 13 