GoldFord Depicts Life’s Changing Seasons With “Dreams Of Summertime”

“We live our lives in seasons,” reflects GoldFord. During a writing session with close friend Rich Jacques (Maya Rudolph, Peter Katz), conversation turned to “some horrific thing that happened to a dear friend’s child and the impact of how it might shape their life,” he recalls. “That led to us speaking about the moments that shaped us.”

Jacques and GoldFord then put pen to paper to write “Dreams of Summertime,” a hazy, introspective glimpse into making sense of both joyous and tragic moments in life. “[This song] to me represents healing and freedom. I was always counting down the days until it was summer again,” GoldFord tells American Songwriter. With “the rawness and vulnerability of the lyric” a sure-fire highlight, the guitar-bound mid-tempo whizzes past the eardrums with deep longing and the rush that comes with even life’s quietest moments.

Jenny got a problem / Can’t talk about it, mama won’t hear it / We all got our problems, sings GoldFord over dusty acoustic guitar. She said, ‘Paint on a face, and swallow that fear / And don’t look down, you might just feel the pain / And you’re far too beautiful to fade away’.

The accompanying visual (above), directed by Caitlin Gerard, stars Mia Sandler, Izabela Vidovic, Jeffrey David, and Jasmine Malekan. On my twenty-first birthday, the telephone rang, and my daddy told me / That we lost all the money, continues GoldFord with bruised, lonesome vocals. And it wasn’t his fault, but we still got caught / In a great big wave that brought out to sea / With a blood-red moon watching everything.

Since the release of his 2013 debut single “Upside Down,” which has surpassed 30 million streams, and his first full-length record, Shed a Light, GoldFord has amassed a prolific résumé, working with the likes of Kygo, Sam Feldt and X Ambassadors. He also co-wrote Andy Grammer’s “Give Love,” another streaming smash collecting more than 17 million streams.

Across his body of work, also including such solo entries as “Crossing the Lines,” “Bruises,” and “Ride the Storm,” the singer-songwriter doesn’t necessarily adhere to “some refined, focused process,” he says. “That doesn’t exist for me. I believe that my favorite songs are gifted to me. They come super easy when I least expect it. So, my process is to always pay attention and be ready to catch it when it does. I try to pay attention to observations, conversations, thoughts, feelings─anything can spark something. Sometimes, it comes as a melody, and other times, it comes as a complete thought. I guess my process is to be patient and keep showing up. It’s my favorite waiting game.”

At its core, songwriting blesses him with “creating something meaningful out of something you experienced, selecting the words and melodies that feel perfectly matched with your intentions in the moment,” he adds.

“Dreams of Summertime” samples a brand new EP (of the same name) out everywhere now.