Indie pop meets dream rock risers Golden Cats have returned with another mesmerizing musical offering. Called “The Fall”, the track is the lead single off of their forthcoming highly anticipated debut EP, set for release later this year. Golden Cats is Laura Dalla and Kyle Lenski, a pair that bring together a compelling “black cat/golden retriever” dynamic that translates seamlessly into their music, balancing shadow and light, intimacy and expansiveness, vulnerability and cinematic scope. With "The Fall", the duo create a striking introduction to their world. The single is a song of devotion, seduction and infatuation. "The Fall" also tackles feelings of trepidation with a returning love and the intense feelings that can evoke. Musically, "The Fall" is a kaleidoscopic embrace filled with atmospheric textures, dreamy synths and emotionally charged melodies. The song is immersive and mood-drenched, and one of the most exciting releases of the year. There’s a cinematic quality to the production that allows the song to unfold like a scene, drawing listeners into its bittersweet emotional core.
In conversation with Earmilk, Golden Cats chats about their new single, origin story, unique sound, the concept of shadow and light and more. The result is a compelling read as fascinating and enticing as their music.
Can you introduce yourselves and tell us how Golden Cats came together?
Hey! We’re Golden Cats – Laura is our singer, songwriter, and producer, and Kyle is our drummer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.
We met at a band rehearsal through mutual friends, we noticed how similarly we thought, spoke, and wrote. At the same time, we were very different people. People started telling us we had a black cat and golden retriever dynamic, and that contrast became something we recognized in ourselves too.
We started writing together and became best friends. Ever since then, we’ve shared the same goal in the studio: to make someone feel something real.
How would you describe Golden Cats' sound to someone hearing you for the first time?
Golden Cats songs are melodic, emotional, vulnerable, and honest. We want them to feel like finding a song that’s somehow familiar from the first listen, even though you’ve never heard it before.
What inspired "The Fall," and why did you choose it as the lead single from your debut EP?
The inspiration for “The Fall” came during a writing trip we took while we were confronting a few old fears. One of them was jumping from a high pier into deep water.
It made us think about those moments in life when you have to make a decision and completely commit to it. Once you’ve jumped, you can’t freeze in midair and go back. You have to accept the decision you’ve made and whatever transformation comes with it.
We wrote “The Fall” as a confession about how scary it can be to choose one path over a billion imaginary possibilities. To let an old version of yourself die, and to still love yourself through that transformation. It felt like the right song to release because so much of the band is about change, duality, and learning to accept the different versions of ourselves.
At the same time, the song has several other personal meanings to us, and we want listeners to have the freedom to find their own meaning in it!
The song explores devotion, seduction, and vulnerability. What emotions were you hoping listeners would connect with?
We hoped listeners would connect with the same transformative feeling the song gave us. “The Fall” came into our lives during a period that felt like a hurricane of emotions and changes.
We wanted the song to capture the vulnerability of standing between two versions of yourself, when you haven’t completely let go of the past but don’t fully recognize or have fallen in love with the person you’re becoming yet.
What was the songwriting process like for "The Fall"?
"The Fall” was one of the most challenging songs we’ve ever made. We had just finished “Ivory,” which we were immensely proud of, and following it felt intimidating. We made several different versions of “The Fall,” but none of them felt right.
Eventually, we decided to leave the studio, hit the road, and spend a few days writing by the beach. After jumping from the pier, we realized how much the song was really about fear, commitment, and becoming someone new.
When we came back to the studio, everything suddenly made sense. We finished the song within a few days.
Since you write, produce, and record everything yourselves, what are the advantages and challenges of being completely DIY?
The biggest advantage is the vulnerability and authenticity we’re able to preserve in the finished song. There’s a special atmosphere in the studio when it’s the middle of the night and it’s just the two of us making music. A lot of secrets get sung into the microphone when there’s nobody else in the room telling you whether what you’re doing is right or wrong.
The biggest challenge is perspective. There are periods of writer’s block when having a second or third brain in the room would probably help us get unstuck faster. But we've also learned to be patient, resilient, and trust the process. Sometimes you have to experience a little more life before a song is ready to be finished.
How does your "black cat/golden retriever" dynamic influence your music?
Immensely! Kyle is a mover and a doer, he brings a lot of energy to the music through his drumming, guitar playing, production instincts, and his outrageous ability to sit in front of a session editing for hours without stopping.
Laura focus more on the details and sonority, how a sound, lyric, melody, or production decision affects someone emotionally. She’s thoughtful because every detail changes the way the song feels. We're like the sun and the moon (haha)
Can you explain your "Shadow and Light" release strategy?
The idea came from Yin-Yang. We do shadow and light versions so they can complete each other. Our main goal is for people to hear the songs, accept their darkest parts and bring them into the light.
The music video for "The Fall" features dark abstract visuals and shifting colors. What was the creative vision behind it?
The visualizer for “The Fall” represents the idea that our emotions are constantly moving between states of Light and Shadow. We’re also lucky to have great creative minds on our team who understand the world we’re building and help us bring these ideas to life.
What can fans expect from your upcoming debut EP?
We’re putting a lot of love and work into it. The EP expands the world we’ve been building, it explores more Light and Shadow songs that dance around insecurity, love, desire, fear, acceptance, and transformation.
We’ve been introducing parts of the Golden Cats lore through our visuals on social media, and there are easter eggs hidden throughout what we post and release.
How do you hope listeners feel after experiencing your music?
We hope they feel understood and complete. We want our music to be a place where people feel accepted, loved, and truly seen, including the parts of themselves they might not completely understand or love yet.
More than anything, we want to keep building a community of curious people who aren’t afraid to feel deeply, accept their darkest parts and bring them into the light, ask questions, and find a sense of home with each other.
If listeners take away one message from "The Fall," what would you want it to be?
That loving through change can be difficult, but there’s something beautiful waiting on the other side of the road of transformation.
Whether that means loving someone while they’re trying to grow into a better version of themselves, or learning to love yourself while facing your own fears and shadows. We think real love requires allowing people, including ourselves, the grace to change.
Connect with Golden Cats: INSTAGRAM
