If you visit her Instagram page, Los Angeles-based singer Goldie Vargas seems like a living, breathing representation of California itself. She looks like she was born to be in front of a camera, her natural beauty coming across easily in shots of her by the pool, in a classic car in Malibu, out in the constant LA sunshine, and more. Most pictures have a slightly hazy filter on it, almost meant to project the vibe of an old soul. She plays a cover of the Stevie Nicks tune, “Landslide,” on her acoustic guitar in one video, so it would be no surprise to learn she has a deep appreciation for the music that paved the way for her generation.
Her newest single, “Canyon,” is out now. It is, undoubtedly, the least interesting of her three releases, with the funky “Strawberry Kisses” and the experimental “Moving In Reverse” showing some impressive range and musicality, as well as a desire to explore multiple avenues with her sound. However, “Canyon” is her most vulnerable and honest yet.
The track, a look into Vargas’ mind post-breakup, shares intimate details with the listener as she reminisces in the opening line; “’You smell like roses and taste like cinnamon,” he said. ‘I’d love you even if you were different.’” Whoever he is, he’s gone now, and Vargas is left to her own devices, trying to pick up the pieces; “Running through the fields, I miss the girl I used to feel. Freedom was a word till he stole that like he knew its worth.” The somber guitar line is melancholic enough to draw you in, sounding like something you sit in the car and cry to, or walk around listening to in the rain. She embodies the spirit of the singer/songwriters she grew up idolizing, like Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell, but there’s a possible hint of an homage to one of today’s biggest chart-toppers.
In the second verse she sings; “I can’t help it with all you put me through. I’m well aware I write too many songs about you.” That second line is word for word, and almost note for note in a different key, a lyric from Harry Styles’ “Falling,” off of 2019’s Fine Line. Vargas may have wanted to use a bit of that song, also about heartbreak, as an homage to Styles, who references the Beachwood Café, an LA staple, in the tune, but there is no telling if that was the intention, or if it was purely coincidence. “Canyon” isn’t as emotionally explosive as “Falling,” but the general idea is there.
Vargas has presented the listener with three different sounds leading up to the release of her debut EP, set for the end of this month, so she is unquestionably willing to showcase different facets of herself in her music.
You can stream “Canyon” here:
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