Marlon Rabenreither began his solo project as Gold Star in 2013 and is set to release his third album, Uppers And Downers for Autumn Tone Records. “What artists do is reactionary to what they did before,” he reasons. “I wanted to do the opposite of my previous LP, Big Blue, and make this record a collection of songs.” Hence the title, which isn’t a strictly literal reference to different mental states, or even medication, but rather to the diversity of song styles.“The idea was to achieve a deeper scope, a more dynamic range: slow songs, fast songs, less genre specific, capturing all the moods.”

The process began at LA’s historic Valentine Studios, a space recently renovated by Rabenreither’s producer friend Nicolas Jodoin . Valentine hadn’t been touched for decades but captured some of the greatest artists ever, including The Beach Boys, Frank Zappa, and Jackson Browne). Jodoin was key in ensuring the songs formed a seamless soundtrack via lush arrangements and vintage-sounding keys and chords. For Rabenreither, it was an experience unlike any he’d had before.“It was the first time making my own work in a large, professional environment,” he says. “Old studios are these rare sacred spaces, like churches. It forces you to meet these expectations that you wouldn’t push yourself to under less pressure. Time is valued there, and you know the people who were in there before did it right, so what are you doing?”

Uppers And Downers is a collage that winks at classic eras, but with a modern bite and twist. The one thing connecting the songs is the city of Los Angeles. Now residing in MacArthur Park, Rabenreither feels the wave of excitement following the mass exodus of creative types from the more expensively priced San Francisco and New York City. His friends are similarly minded musicians and artists; they all believe in the everlasting power of rock’n’roll. For once in his life, he’s starting to feel less like a lone wolf, more part of a collective movement.