Ethan Gold “The Inhibitionists”

In a way, the entire Earth City trilogy is sewn from the earth itself, brought to life in many different corners of the globe. Originally written in LA and inspired by a secret affair blooming in polluted fields and industrial wastelands, “The Inhibitionists” was recorded in Nashville (with friend Cal Campbell engineering), Glasgow, and the Scottish countryside. Citing The Stranglers’ 1982 record Feline as one of his primary inspirations, the track evokes the atmosphere of an idyllic European café lost to time—the air buzzing with chatter, swelling with the aroma of freshly ground espresso, where good friends and bohemian creatives gather not to escape the night, but embrace it. Even the beat seems to be caffeinated, bouncing with a warm intensity and familiarity of a night still young. Acoustic melodies, baritone vocals, and electronic drums come together to transport listeners to an imaginary haven of excitement, intrigue, yearning, and community. In a world brimming with boisterous, echoing voices, Gold shines a spotlight on those who prefer to stay out of it, revealing an alternate reality often overlooked, in which it’s possible to be both introverted and flirtatious, reserved and joyful, and most importantly, different and free. “The world is loud with exhibitionists who don’t understand our way of making magic,” says Gold, “and we don’t care.”

As a not-so-secret admirer of urban culture—subways and trains, crowds and solitude—the music video for “The Inhibitionists” is a tender love letter to a Berlin run not by thunderous transgressors or rotten scoundrels, but by romantic introverts—those with a twinkle in their eye and a quiet lust for life chasing after a breezy sense of youth. While living in the city for a year, Gold fell in with a crowd of like-minded singer-songwriters who, when the sun went down, flooded Berlin’s nocturnal joints with bright smiles, hearty laughter, and heartfelt music. He captured the vibrancy of his cherished hangouts—especially one local bar in Kreuzberg—and the unique people it draws, turning his real life into something out of a 70s Éric Rohmer film or a scene from Run Lola Run. As a pair of introverted, nervous friends shed their inhibitions, bathe in the moonlight, and traverse a landscape shrouded in darkness without fear, they’re backdropped by a mellowed-out, concrete metropolis—a whole different world waiting for them, right there for the taking.