Life's ephemerality stands as one of its resounding truths, revealed in those moments when you might wish time away, desperate to turn the page and start the next proverbial chapter—only to later be inundated by a wave of nostalgia for the simplicity of the past. Los Angeles-based band Gold Star, led by Austria-born musician Marlon Rabenreither, captures this impermanence of the everyday in their latest single “Fade Away.” As Rabenreither reflects, we should endeavor to avoid the gnarled tangle of remembering fleeting moments. He croons during the song’s refrain, “Even when you’re gone/That feeling’s gonna fade away.”

Despite the poignancy of its lyrics, the track remains sonically upbeat, peppered with the brightness of harmonica notes and organ melodies, giving “Fade Away” an old-school tone that evokes its reflections of nostalgia. To record “Fade Away,” Gold Star opted for a live setting, the instrumentalists performing in the same room with as few overdubs as possible. Rabenreither, lead vocalist on the single in addition to playing guitar and harmonica, was joined by bandmates Jordan Odom on bass and vocals, Connor “Catfish” Gallaher on guitar, Jay Rudolph on drums and Mikey Whiteside on organ. “Fade Away” was produced and mixed by Sean O’Brien, who has worked with other acclaimed musical acts like The National and Taylor Swift.

“Fade Away” primes listeners for the release of Gold Star's new album How To Shoot The Moon. An album distinguished by its intimate yet classic folk-rock sound, How To Shoot The Moon showcases Gold Star’s dynamic range.

Ahead of the album’s November 15 release, FLAUNT speaks to frontman Rabenreither about the transient nature of life and music.

What inspired these themes of optimism in "Fade Away," how can one continue to hold on in knowing "everything fades away?”

My new album is called How To Shoot The Moon and the phrase shooting the moon generally means to aim very high at an increased risk of failure. It is also an automatic winning roll in a game of dice if you are able to roll straight sixes. To me making this album is sort of doubling down on that sense of optimism, but also accepting that potential for failure. Accepting that “everything fades away” can be somewhat liberating.

This track is a part of your upcoming album How To Shoot The Moon. Can listeners expect to tune into the same folk-rock vibes of this single?

How To Shoot The Moon was largely recorded by the same group of players in the same room at the same time, over the course of a few days. It definitely adds a very cohesive sort of feeling that permeates the album. For me it was important to build that kind of continuity for this record but ultimately, we deliberately did not stray too far from the core elements of a song like “Fade Away.” You can expect to hear a fair amount of organ, piano, harmonica, and pedal steel if that’s what you are drawn to as a listener.

How do you personally find the strength to hold on to hope in the face of life's fleeting nature?

At times it can be challenging to muster that sort of strength but I reckon even if it’s foolish, it’s worth it to shoot for the moon, to try for something beautiful, to not give up… what’s the worst that can happen? 

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