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[6] and Lojinx in Europe.[7] The album was announced in June of that year with the lead single “East Coast Girl”.[8]
| Stay Gold | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 26, 2016 | |||
| Genre | Rock & roll, country rock, Americana | |||
| Length | 43:09 | |||
| Label | Dangerbird,[1] Lojinx[2] | |||
| Butch Walker chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The A.V. Club | B+[4] |
| AllMusic | |
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."[9]
Background and production

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."[9]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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" (featuring Ashley Monroe) | Walker, 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 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from AllMusic.[10]
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Musicians
|
Technical personnel
|
Charts
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[11] | 143 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard)[12] | 4 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13] | 10 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[14] | 10 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[15] | 11 |
| US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[16] | 12 |
References
- "Butch Walker and the Black Widows". Danger Bird Records. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- "Butch Walker - Stay Gold". Lojinx.
- Stay Gold by Butch Walker, retrieved September 28, 2016
- Zaleski, Annie (August 26, 2016). "Butch Walker's classic-rock-leaning Stay Gold is nostalgic about roads not taken". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- "Stay Gold - Butch Walker | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- Dangerbird. "Stay Gold". Dangerbird Records. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- "Butch Walker Stay Gold". Lojinx. July 1, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- Dangerbird. "Butch Walker To Release New Album Stay Gold on August 26". Dangerbird Records. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- Hudak, Joseph (August 26, 2016). "Butch Walker: Why I'll Never Make a 'Radiohead Album'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- "Stay Gold - Butch Walker - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- "Butch Walker Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- "Butch Walker Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard.
- "Butch Walker Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
- "Butch Walker Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
- "Butch Walker Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
- "Butch Walker Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard.
