A lot of music that gets sent to me follows a pretty similar formula. It makes sense, based on the stuff I write about, that new artists that make folk/rock/americana would find this website and shoot me an email. Sometimes, though, I get sent things that are nothing like the usual tracks I receive. Such is the case with Excelsior’s latest single, “Gold Runs.”

The first minute of the song is pretty familiar-a keyboard, a beautiful voice, some background production that lifts up both instruments. And then, about a minute or so in, this guitar comes out of nowhere. It’s always interesting when you hear something that isn’t quite where your brain thinks it should be. If you listen to a lot of music, you kind of have an idea of how things should fit together, and it can be jarring when that idea is challenged.

On top of the guitar, there’s a synth flourish that adds a bit of fun to a fairly stoic melody. By the end of the second verse, the things that seemed off become the same things driving the song forward: more guitar, more synth, more harmonies. And then, with the same boldness with which they entered, the guitar and synth vanish to leave just the back and forth of two voices repeating the same phrases over and over.

“Gold Runs” is the second single from Excelsior’s new album, Fit For Fiction. The album is out August 26th. If you dig the song, you can download it from The Big Oil Recording Company’s Bandcamp page. For more info you can follow Excelsior on Instagram.