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For a song about dealing with a serial liar, Gold Steps’ “Petty” is remarkably cordial.
Not the sound, mind you. From the very first second of their new track, the pop-punk trio hit you with absolutely everything they have, all at once. There’s no easing into this one. Piercing vocals, propulsive guitar and crisp percussion toss you into the deep end of the pool while delivering an overall sonic sunniness that belies the subject matter.
“Seems I struck a chord challenging your words,” Liz Mauritz sings in the opening lines. “Or is it more an impulse you can’t ignore?”
This is a relationship littered with lies, one where you’d expect the wronged individual to cross the bridge of confrontation and then take a blowtorch to it afterward. But there’s a tone that suggests salvation isn’t totally off the table.
At a couple points during the song, Mauritz sings, “I don’t mean to be accusing,” as if trying to give the person a chance to apologize or explain. But the lyrics also draw clear lines: “I’m ready. Not letting you get the best of me.”
Beginning with “Stay the Same,” their single from earlier in the year, Gold Steps marked this as “a new era of self-empowerment, calling out toxic influences with hook-laden, brutal honesty.”
“Petty” makes it clear they weren’t kidding.
You can hear the track below, as well as on Gold Steps’ "That Ain't It" EP scheduled for release Oct. 7 and at one of their upcoming shows:
- Aug. 21 at High Noon Saloon in Madison
- Sept. 3 at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy
- Sept. 9 at JJ's Bar & Grill in Franklin
- Oct. 28 at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy
