Franklin Gotham has been around since 2013, building a catalog of nine EPs that blend pop-infused Americana with alt-indie and folk-rock leanings – the kind of band critics reach for Tom Waits and Nada Surf comparisons to describe. “Sunshine & Gasoline,” released June 8th, marks their first new music since December 2024’s “Good Times Bad Times” EP, and it’s a deliberate departure from the folk-rock textures of their earlier work. In their place: a guitar-driven neo-reggae groove, built for open roads and warm weather, sitting somewhere between The Elovaters’ relaxed pocket and Milky Chance’s acoustic-electronic hybrid pop. It’s the first of three planned singles this year, with an atmospheric original called “Lisboa” and a reimagined cover of The Human League’s “Fascination” both teased to follow.
The song borders on cheesy sometimes, but that’s almost the point. I can imagine this being the song that plays in a movie where a cynical character reluctantly, eventually gives in and sings it alongside their happy-go-lucky friends. It’s a road-trip adventure kind of song and hits all the marks, and doesn’t really reinvent anything and isn’t aiming to be unique – the focus here is to embrace the present moment and let go of our past regrets, let’s just be grateful for what we have and enjoy it to the fullest. Honestly, it’s a message that we sorely need these days.
Franklin Gotham know what they’re going for here, and they commit to it without irony, which is the only way a song like this actually works. “Sunshine & Gasoline” isn’t trying to be anyone’s favorite deep cut – it’s trying to be the song that plays with the windows down, and on that count, it succeeds completely. Two more singles are on the way, and on this evidence, the band’s summer is shaping up nicely.
