Totally Dublin 1
GOLDB Goldbugs’ debut album Swings and Roundabout
s is not just a standalone body of work, it is a life story contained within song. WORDS Leanne Gleeson The more Danilo – alias Goldbug – gradually revealed about his life in our conversation, the more clearly it shone through within his music. Of course lyrically, the elements of self-explanation make themselves clear, but this is also in reference to the melodic, expansive and atmospheric world Goldbug carefully weaves through the album. A bustling scene of Dublin City breezed past in a lengthening Summer’s evening outside the tall windows of The Music Cafe as we sat down to discuss all things concerning Swings and Roundabouts. Danilo peeled back each layer of his life story to date with self-contained care, journeying through his time growing up in the deep countryside of the Provence region of France, his gradual disillusionment with a sheltered religious upbringing, as well as the deep pang of loneliness that accompanied uprooting and moving to Dublin freshly eighteen. How are you feeling about your debut album release? Quite terrified, I guess, in a way. I’m excited because it’s been a long time coming, but sharing new music is a bit scary. I actually finished the album about three years ago. I’ve sat on it for so long. And I think it took so much out of me to make the album that after that I had to let it go. And I couldn’t think about it. And I just let it sit for a couple years. I had to give myself back the courage, and then slowly I got back around. And now we’re here. This year, putting out the full thing. I guess sometimes you make it, and then for some reason, maybe you’re so into making an album that it becomes overwhelming. Because I’ve heard it so much. I think the process of putting it out now will feel like me being in love with it again. When did you first start writing music? Songwriting came late for me in a sense, so did my love for music. My brother and sister were very into music, and I was actually quite a science/math person. I kind of was 26
