Words by: Amanda Marano

Michael McGough, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist of rock-band Being As An Ocean, has brought his pop act Heart of Gold to life. He has just released a fresh and nostalgic four-track EP of songs, in the style of the late 80s/early 90s while also being incredibly fresh and unique. The EP features fan-favorite singles, “Midnight In Miami” and “Left Town”.

“Midnight in Miami” is an upbeat, whimsical daydream of a perfect summer night in love and longing. “Over Yourself” comes in as a heavy hitter with a steady beat and his excellent echoing vocals – making it difficult to not sing along at the top of your lungs. “Left Town” brings an atmospheric element to the mix, with emotional lyrics and slower verses. “See Through” is very reminiscent of bands like The 1975 in its’ style and conflicting lyrics, but with an added element of early 2000s styled vocals. The EP is a well versed and dynamic release, which draws from his life experiences, situations and emotions we all experience every day.

“Once we had finished tracking the last part of the last single during the recording process for this EP, we knew we had a solid collection of songs to be released together as a whole,” shares Michael. “The first single ‘Over Yourself’ was our ‘re-welcoming’ to the world – ‘See Through’ was the message of personal experience, where the time in between had been spent, and ‘Midnight In Miami’ was paying homage to the original sound that inspired this project to begin with. The next and final single from GOLD, ‘Left Town’ is the marriage of wearing your heart on your sleeve, but poking fun at yourself along the way. Saying ‘yeah that really hurt having to go through that but hey i’ll have a cool story to tell’. – That’s the whole lyrical message across the board with GOLD.”

“I grew up between two households,” he explains. “My mother brought in this incredible range of Pop and R&B to my life. I’ve always been so drawn to dominant vocals in a song, accompanied by just the right chord progression that really makes you feel something. Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Lisa Stansfield in particular were the leaders of that. However, my fathers house was always filled with rock and roll music. The Smiths, Queen, Thin Lizzy and Led Zeppelin just to name a few. That brought in a wider range of inspiration of vocal ranges and how the voice can really work when accompanying the right music.”

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