One of the most polarizing effects of the Virgina trio who make up RDGLDGRN (Red Gold Green) is their ability to remain both familiar and worldly at the same time. Their melodies are often inviting, holding up their conversational lyrics at eye-level so you never have to stoop for the experience. And yet, there’s something about their pace, the wisdom they impart with each word, that reminds you of just how grand they are. Nobody could have predicted the global pandemic we are now collectively enduring, nor the stream of social content that we’re clinging on so dearly for any contact with the outside world. But somehow, Green (Pierre Desrosiers) imagined a similar scenario last year and wrote a song about it— “Everybody’s Living In A Trap”— not knowing how much resonance it would have a little ways down the road when they finally released it.
"So a year ago i was thinking about how we’ve trapped ourselves in this space with an endless scroll of content to keep us entertained and I wondered what would it be like if we couldn’t do anything but be on the Internet…and then that thought came true,” he shares in a humbling realization.
The reality of it may be a little bleak, but RDGLDGRN doesn’t let it weigh down their production with somber riffs or muted vocals. On the contrary, “Everybody’s Living In A Trap” comes alive with an arrangement of tight drums and colourful keys. Though it feels unfettered and loose, it is in fact a carefully crafted illusion the three veterans have perfected over the years. Everything is meticulously sculpted, down to the last chiming effect, in an effort to create the desired experience. It makes you feel, and question. It makes you stop to think about what you’re doing and why you feel the need to do it. Most of all, it reminds you of the life that exists outside the 6” of screen in front of you— even if it seems far away right in this moment— and all the things you could do with it if you only gave it a try.
