Stay Gold (Butch Walker album)
Stay Gold is the eighth full-length studio album from American musician Butch Walker, released on August 26, 2016 through DangerBird records in the United States[4] and Lojinx in Europe.[5] The album was announced in June of that year with the lead single “East Coast Girl”.[6]
Following his previous release, Afraid of Ghosts, an emotional album recorded after the loss of his father, Stay Gold presents a much more upbeat and optimistic outlook, with Walker saying "I spilled it all out on [Afraid of Ghosts] and it was a heavy subject. Where do you go from there? [...] It triggered a lot of bittersweet nostalgia. So I started writing about all that, and it sounded like the template should be more of a celebration, as far as the music goes."[7]
Background and production
![](../I/m/Butch_Walker_at_Varsity_Theater_2016.jpg)
Walker on tour at
Minneapolis' Varsity Theater on September 11, 2016
Walker cites the 1983 film The Outsiders as a major thematic influence for the record, echoing his own small town childhood, with the title referencing the line spoken by Johnny Cade to Ponyboy Curtis, "Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold."[7]
Track listing
1. |
"Stay Gold" | Butch Walker |
3:57 |
2. |
"East Coast Girl" | Walker |
4:18 |
3. |
"Wilder in the Heart" | Walker |
3:49 |
4. |
"Ludlow Expectations" | Walker |
4:47 |
5. |
"Descending" | Walker, Ashley Monroe |
4:16 |
6. |
"Irish Exit" | Walker |
3:58 |
7. |
"Mexican Coke" | Walker |
4:10 |
8. |
"Can We Just Not Talk About Last Night?" | Walker |
4:28 |
9. |
"Spark: Lost" | Walker |
4:30 |
10. |
"Record Store" | Walker |
4:56 |
References