“Budapest” singer George Ezra is regarded as the personification of wanderlust, he wrote two albums while traveling. That was impossible with his new work because of the pandemic. But Ezra found a solution.
Cheerfulness, hope and a good portion of the usual charm: With his new album, George Ezra cheers up his fans again after two years of the pandemic.
The 29-year-old keeps the usual Ezra style on each of the twelve songs. However, “Gold Rush Kid” differs from his multiple award-winning debut “Wanted On Voyage” (2014) and the almost equally successful “Staying At Tamara’s” (2018) in one important respect.
The singer-songwriter, who was born in Hertfordshire, UK, wrote the latter while traveling – that’s how hits like “Budapest” or “Barcelona” came about. However, the pandemic has now forced Ezra to change the way he works. The singer produced the new record together with his longtime companion Joel Pott in London.
He is a born optimist
But the album’s upbeat and upbeat vibe belies the fact that it was completed in a studio during the darkest months of 2020. Ezra has managed to musically turn the melancholy of the pandemic into hope. Instead of hiding in the Corona pessimism, Ezra focused on making the best of life despite many fears. For example, on “Green Green Grass” he sings: “Green green grass, blue blue sky, you better throw a party the day I die.”
Unlike the other two, the record does not follow a specific route. It’s more of a patchwork of old notebooks and diaries that he took with him on his travels, says Ezra. “Tiger Lily moved to town (…) and I said: Here’s my number, call me if you need someone” – this note from five years ago made it onto the opener “Anyone For You (Tiger Lily )».
With a gold rush comes hope for better times, the promise of an upswing. Ezra himself tries to see something positive in a situation whenever possible, as he explains through his Columbia label. That’s why he’s the “Gold Rush Kid” – the personification of the gold rush.
