The Golden Dregs is the project of British songwriter Benjamin Woods, who released his breakthrough album Hope is For The Hopeless in late 2019 – only to have tours for that album cut short by the pandemic. Isolated in the city after his friends and housemates had escaped, he worked on music all day – but no words. It was only once he moved back to his native Cornwall and took up working on a building site that lyrics started to emerge, and that’s where his new single, “John”, comes from. He says:
“The building site was rough. And muddy like I had never known. I was very unhappy. I wrote the verses to “John” in the shower. I was humming the melody and thinking about the past and then I knew what the song was about.
“I often use songwriting to process experiences and emotions that I otherwise would struggle to articulate, or would shy away from talking about publicly. Sometimes the process is cathartic, but it can backfire and I get stuck reliving an unsavoury memory every time we perform a song live”.
Ensconced in his youthful stomping grounds, memories of a departed teenage friend emerged in Woods’ mind, and now nestle themselves into the rustic folk of “John”. With his rich voice, The Golden Dregs passively picks over adolescent memories with his titular friend; camping by the quarry, telling tales of the girls they fancied, and ultimately learning “how all great things are destined to be turned to smoke and breathed into our lungs.” With those memories swimming on the surface of his consciousness, he comes to the sombre but heart-rending resolution of the chorus: “seldom do I think about him now / but there’s no way that I’m forgetting.” It’s a simple idea, but touches on a deep truth of human existence; how memories can corrode and fade, but remain emotionally truthful – which evokes both pain and pleasure in equal measure. Delivered in Woods’ truly gorgeous baritone, the words seem to become imbued with even more depth and resonance, and “John” is a truly stirring tribute to departed loved ones everywhere.
Listen to “John” on streaming platforms or watch the lyric video below.
“John” is being released as a digital 7″ through End Of The Road Records with a B-side called “Ultimate Fighting Champion” (pre-order on Bandcamp). You can find The Golden Dregs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
