The GOLD DINAR – The Nightingale Floors

Clocking in at a swift ten tracks in thirty-five minutes the album is closer to Christian’s solo works than the more blues grounded elements of earlier GeminiiDRAGON releases. One thing that it does bring from those records is the earthy sound of GeminiiDRAGON’s voice, although here she shares lead vocals with Christian Simeon. Each song sees them switching vocal duties back and forth between verses and choruses.

This time around The GOLD DINAR tackle topics around looking back and learning from the past, and the power that we hold within ourselves to do more and grow.

Love is a key theme throughout the album. The opening track is a bouncy little number called ‘Believe in Love.’ The title tells you everything as the band declare their love for each other and everyone.

‘Out There’ describes the search for love in trying times, and that sometimes you need to move on to find what you need. It’s a slower number bathed in synths. Both artists give powerful vocal performances.

‘Psycho Babble’ is one of my favourite tracks. Rolling on a simple seven note refrain it catches the ear with its gentle delivery. Ethereal and beautiful the song deals with how we are all judged by people who know extraordinarily little about us. The ones that talk about people that they don’t know to other people, spreading mistruths and those that spread baseless views on the internet. Bonus points for managing to get Mr Snaggleoflepuss (?) into the lyrics and making it rhyme seamlessly.

A darker view of love comes through in ‘Novocaine.’ This track deals with how the pain of heartbreak can’t be solved with painkillers and how numbing the pain of heartbreak can lead us to more dangerous addictions.

‘Bright Lights’ is a pop anthem that celebrates letting the world see your true self. It’s another key track, underpinned by some lovely bass playing and jangly guitars.

Hard lives, and poor choices come to the fore in ‘Battle Scars.’ Musically the layered instruments are used economically but to significant effect. The piano recurs with a dark little motif over a static beat as the guitars weave in and out.

‘Crashing Down’ continues the hasher side of life vibe. It’s a slow soulful track about how we feel when love ends and depth of pain we feel right down to our bones. The lyrics talk about the devastation we feel in these times, and how our instinct is to tear down everything until there’s nothing left to remind us of what we’ve lost. Christian takes the vocals all on his own on this track and delivers one of the best vocal performances I’ve heard from him.

Things pick up musically and emotionally with ‘Jump.’ It’s a fantastic piece of modern R&B. The artists voices blend and take solo turns telling us about the different sides of love. Christian sings of longing and uncertain futures, while GeminiiDRAGON brings the more positive side of wanting to ‘jump’ and ‘touch the sky.’

Penultimate track ‘Frankenstein’ drives along on synth sound reminiscent of New Order. The artists give two points of view on a failing relationship. Each character finds reasons to blame the other. Between them they create a ‘monster.’

The album ends with ‘Lifeline.’ It comes in on strummed guitars and GeminiiDRAGON on vocal harmonising. Production wise it the simplest track on the album, just guitar and GeminiiDRAGON’s vocals. It’s delicate and fragile and yet uplifting as the lyrics articulate how we can all find something that can lift us above the ‘bullshit’ of everyday life. It’s a quiet end to the album that basks in its simplicity making it another key track.

Overall ‘The Nightingale Floors’ is an album that moves around between indie pop, contemporary R&B, and straightforward pop sounds. Synths sounds are layered on top of each other, giving a warmth to the overall production. The drums have been given an exceptionally clean sound that drives each track forward with precision. The overall mix is well done, blending the instruments and vocals in such a natural way that it draws you into the warmth of the album. It’s a dynamic little album. Add the emotional and descriptive words on top of this confection and it’s a winning mix.

I must admit the album took me a little while to get into. It was only after several play throughs that the songs started to stand up for themselves in my head. The more I’ve listened to ‘The Nightingale Floors’ the more I’ve been able to get into the emotion of the album. It’s a further step forward in the sound of GeminiiDRAGON and Christian Simeon and it makes another fine piece of work to add to their repertoire.

If a gold dinar is the most valuable coin in the world, then The GOLD DINAR have come with an album that will add musical value to your record collection.

Release Date: May 1, 2025 Label: Nepotism Recordings Available On: