Anyone who has logged some time in the middle of a brutal Montreal winter, or any winter at all, really, will likely appreciate the crushing music of the Québécois slowcore band Goldenstar. It’s perfect for holing up in your room during a snowstorm, but it carries enough melodic depth to make the transition to more thawed-out conditions. On the heels of the release of their new EP, Chamber Music, we reached out to the crew and asked them about slowcore, songwriting, and Montreal sandwiches. Read the piece and listen to the EP below.

Where does your band name come from?

Markus: Meg called me "goldenstar" as a silly pet name once and I wrote it down. The first time I mentioned to her that I was thinking of using it as a band name she said she thought it was really bad. Then a couple days later we were lying on a rock in the middle of a lake in the middle of the night staring up at the stars and I brought up the name again and she thought it was genius and perfect so I decided to use it after all. (That lake is pictured in the Chamber Music art in a photo my grandpa took in 1963.)

Are you OK with being called a slowcore band? Does the term have any unwanted baggage for you?

Markus: The music is definitely rooted in the slowcore tradition though I'd like to think we're also bringing in a lot of influences from outside the genre, both from the melancholy singer-songwriter Elliott Smith/Sparklehorse/Microphones world as well as from noise rock like Sonic Youth and 90s Blonde Redhead. I tend to consider Codeine as the sort of archetypal slowcore band and though they're great I've always been more drawn to slowcore that has a little more colour in it or that brings in something else, like Duster with their spacier more ambient sound, or like Aerial M's more experimental stuff. I know bands like Acetone rejected the slowcore label and it can feel a bit reductive but ultimately I don't really mind it. It's a helpful shorthand at least.

Who are some of your favorite new bands playing slow, emotional rock music?

Markus: Sta Dormida, Flooding, Lulled, Cancer House.

What is “Forget” about?

Markus: When Meg and I write vocals/lyrics we don't usually set out to write about anything in particular but I think "Forget" is sort of about taking shelter in one another while also poisoning each other, there's a sense of an inescapable inertia holding you together.

How did you link up with OST? How do you feel like you fit on that label?

Markus: I first met Ian outside an URA show in Greenpoint in 2019 and then I would see him every once in a while when I would visit New York or at Sustain-Release. From the get-go he's always struck me as a musical true believer and I really respect that, especially in an industry that harbours a lot of primarily clout-focused people. When we put out the first EP in January 2025 Ian reached out and expressed how much he liked it and he's been a big supporter of the project ever since. I think OST is a good fit for us because we do bring in some influences from our backgrounds in ambient/experimental music (creeping in on songs like “Spinning Out” and “I Blink” and “See Nothing”). I feel that ambient and slowcore music both have this all-encompassing, permeating, inevitable atmosphere.

You worked with Patrick Holland on this record. Do you think his sensibility bled into the music or production in any ways?

Markus: On the first EP we recorded everything at home and at our practice space, but this time around we recorded most of the drums and bass with Pat in his studio. He's a very talented and experienced operator in the studio with a really keen ear when it comes to actually realizing a sound or homing in on a certain tone. I was initially hesitant to abandon the sort of primitive two mic drum recording technique that we used on the first EP but Pat managed to keep the sound really immediate and unpolished while also bringing in some more detail and getting the drums to hit harder on tracks like “Belemen” for example. It was also just a lot of fun working with him—it's nice to have that kind of rapport with someone where you can go into the studio and be serious about getting a certain result while also keeping the vibes light and stupid and funny.

Pat (and Francis who also worked on the mix/master) definitely brought his own sensibility to the project but I also think that to a certain extent a good recording/mixing/mastering engineer needs to leave their own tastes and ego at the door a bit and they also did a good job at doing that. Of course that isn't to say that there isn't a lot of creativity involved in the role. I really couldn't ask for better creative-technical expertise than what those two offered and we were very fortunate to have them involved.

Could you tell us a bit about the music coming out of Montreal right now? Any bands you are excited about?

Markus: I feel like the established underground indie scene here has been pretty stale for a while now. To me the most exciting music coming out of Montreal right now is coming from very unknown emo bands. Computer Science recently put out an excellent album called Collarbone Diaries (highlights are track two, "Study Spot,” and track 6, "I uber'd my harmonica to the all ages show"). There was also a great band called Twine that released two really great and criminally overlooked albums but they broke up last year. Not exactly emo, but there are some exceptional songs on Sy Craven's recent album stuffedanimalcomplex (highlight: track 2. "livid"). Then in a somewhat slowcore vein, there's this guy who goes by the name epsilonn who's put out some cool stuff recently (standout tracks: "cry" and "atlas mason"). 

What’s the best place to get a sandwich in Montreal? 

Markus: Caravelle - Chicken Banh Mi

Meg: Bagel Etc - Turkey Swiss

Nick: Dépanneur Le Pick Up - Cuban

Chris: Piazza Salumi - Mortadella Focaccia

Zac: Lalime - Club Matin

Photo Credit: Medina Kalac