Golden Apples - Shooting Star LP (Black Hole Vinyl)

Following the "rich jangle and big, well-developed songs" (Bandcamp) of 2023's Bananasugarfire, Edling sought to deconstruct his creative process by centering collaboration instead of a more solitary pursuit in songwriting, even as personal matters made isolation a more natural instinct. He describes taking time to make notes of the ways, timing and forms in which songs came to him in the process of demoing the record, and regularly questioning if his approach was like that of watching a pot of water boil or waiting for a bolt of light to appear in the sky. In many ways, Shooting Star is an appeal to the muse, a record of songs about writing songs born from Edlings desire to trust his instincts despite the posturings of inner demons and creative roadblocks, and to celebrate the little wins along the way.

The result is a sprawling new work packed to the brim with playful eccentricities and dynamism, one that owes as much of its inspiration to mid