The Goa Express, a garage-rock five-piece named after a carton of soup, capture the wave of inevitable teenage mistakes in their third, sun-soaked single ‘Second Time‘.
Childhood friends and brothers before bandmates, the Northern lads touch on their teenagehood spent in Calder Valley’s industrial towns and their fresh-faced approach to foolish endeavours. The quintet told Far Out Magazine:
“‘Second Time’ is a song about young people making the same mistakes over and over and over again; a warming ballad which breaks aside from our live performances, foolishly thinking, that it’s able to mend itself”.
Revelling in nostalgia, the track diverts away from the band’s garage grit heard on their second single ‘Be My Friend’. This new single delivers a sun-kissed blend of jangly guitars and at ease vocals. With SPF30 weather in sight, ‘Second Time’ will sit comfortably in your ‘work done, beers cooled, quarter pounders burnt‘ playlist.
Geared up to hurl their sound across live venues, with a Rough Trade Management deal under their belt, the band had to put the tools down when live music came to a halt. Despite momentum dwindling, The Goa Express redirected their energy into writing. Bassist Naham Muzaffar said: “All the time that would have been spent on playing shows was channelled into working on new material; which helped us keep productive and make the most of the spare time we now had. It was a blessing in disguise“. With the revival of live music on the horizon, it’s no surprise that their September gig in Manchester’s basement venue Yes is already sold out.
With the help of Mark Gardener (Ride) and the rock and roll headquarters that is Abbey Road Studios, The Goa Express did not disappoint with their third single. Young, dumb and willing to repeat the same mistakes without hesitation, ‘Second Time’ embodies adolescent charm and naivety.
