Gold Steps is a band we are really excited to share with you. This Milwaukee pop punk band is coming back onto the scene swinging and is primed to take over. BareBones Ent got the chance to sit down (safely, you’ll understand later) with vocalist Liz Mauritz to discuss their comeback, latest single, and what their goals are now that they are back.
BBE: I absolutely love your band’s sound, but how would you describe it to potential listeners?
LM: Energetic, guitar-driven alternative pop with strong vocals. Or, for fans of Between You And Me, State Champs, Neck Deep, Stand Atlantic, Seaway.
BBE: How does it feel to be back?
LM: Pretty badass. We’re stoked on all the new music we’ve written together, and feel like we’re the best version of ourselves musically.
BBE: What brought the band back together?
LM: To quote Taylor Swift, “time, curious time”. I needed a mental health break, so in summer 2019 Zach and I took some time off and moved to my home state of Wisconsin. Ironically, as we were starting to settle in and think about what dipping a toe back in could look like, the pandemic hit. In November 2020, after spending way too much time between naps, the fridge and existential dread, we visited Austin and had an impromptu jam sesh with our old bandmate Ruben and some other musician friends. It reignited that feeling that made us play music in the first place. Six weeks later, we had joined forces with Mike on drums and Ryan on bass, and went straight into writing a new EP.
BBE: You recently released a new single, “Stay The Same”, that I definitely want to talk about. Before that though, what was going through your head prior to releasing the song as your first release in 2 years?
LM: Interestingly enough, that song was written in February 2019 during a session with Nick Thompson, who features on the track, and our former producer Rick King. We wrote four songs that our former manager was sending out to labels, and that song was like THE banger. It dripped with sass and vinegar, and I loved how fierce it made me feel to sing.
A few months later, when we took a break, I thought that song would end up unheard forever, just living on a private Soundcloud link in the wild that I’d dig up and show my nephews someday like “I used to do cool shit, see?” When we came back in 2021 and brought Nick in again to write new music, we approached the idea of finishing those demos, and using “Stay The Same” as our first release back into the scene. Nick loved it, and we dove back in, and dialed it up a notch by adding his instantly-recognizable vocals.
I was a little nervous about what people would think, just because I’m always anxious, but I was also so excited because I love this song. It’s so powerful in vocals, attitude and lyrics. It encapsulates so much of me, but also represents a new era of my self-expression. I’ve been fearful in the past to appear too strong, too bitchy, too blunt to people. Yay, growing up as a woman in society. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve been growing more into my own power to call bullshit when I see it, and not take offense when others call me on my own crap.
BBE: How was the response to “Stay The Same”? Was it what you had hoped for?
LM: We haven’t had a single negative response to it, so that’s great. People seemed to dig the “return to pop punk form” vibe of the video. Filmed in a skatepark, lots of headbanging, goofing off with friends. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which for us is refreshing. We’re definitely stoked no one’s been like “wow this is hot garbage, PASS.” I think it hit our goal of being something our fans wanted to hear and we wanted to put out. In time, we hope we gain more new fans because of it.
BBE: The song is so great. How did it come together, because it was actually created before correct?
LM: Yep, written in 2019. Nick and I were working in one room on song ideas, and he’s really great at pulling ideas from what I’m currently going through. So we were talking about some people in my personal life that I was emotionally exhausted with; people that I kept hearing the same wishful thinking from, only to have them turn around and continue to behave the way that led to their regretful situation in the first place. So we built the song around that concept. Just kind of back and forth, talked about all the toxicity, the drama, the exasperation that came from these relationships, and came out with this honest, blunt anthem that said what I wished I had said to those friends.
When we decided to release it in 2021, all we did was add a couple small vocal flairs and layers and then Nick’s voice. The structure, the lyrics, all of that stayed the same. Pun intended.
BBE: How was the filming of the video? It looks like it was so much fun.
LM: It was simultaneously so much fun and so nerve-wracking at the same time. It was the first video we’d filmed in more than two years. I felt so disorganized when we were setting up; usually I have checklists and an outline of what shots to film in what order, and everything is storyboarded out. This time, we were trying to be more relaxed and less scripted. We forgot so many little details in preparation…like extension cords, which we luckily borrowed from the skatepark (thanks Jeff!). But we shrugged our shoulders, and just went for it. The cooler of various seltzers we brought helped our nerves, hah. Once we got into it, it flowed like we’d never taken a break.
A fun story: the shoot almost was derailed at the last hour. We had planned to be at the skatepark around 8pm, and just before 6, our videographer Brandon’s power supply for his camera bricked. He didn’t have a backup, and all the specialty video/camera stores were closed, about to close, or too far away to make the shoot on time. So we sped to Best Buy, bought a camera that would work well enough, and went straight to the shoot. We charged the battery behind the counter of decks and grip tape for as long as we could before we had to begin filming, and when the battery died, we had to wrap the shoot. We got enough footage, and Brandon made it look great in post. I know he was bummed about not getting to use this incredible lens he’d brought from Austin for the shoot, but his skills show in how he was able to make the shots with a camera he’d never used before.
Sometimes you just have to laugh at the universe. And have an extra seltzer.
BBE: We love everyone riding around on the tricycle. How did that come about?
LM: The tricycle tractor is really special to me. My siblings and I used to ride that little green tractor around my grandpa’s driveway and patio as kids, and I wrote “Empty Space” after the loss of my grandfather. It was a way to put a little piece of that love into this video, another little homage to him.
We’d recently discovered it at my uncle’s and took it home, and when we picked Nick up from the airport, we joked about it and how random it would be to bring to the shoot. Nick thought it would be hilarious, so we brought it. And now seeing it in the clips makes me so happy. If you didn’t know the backstory, it might seem really dumb, but I’m glad there’s that extra little connection to my family and our prior music.
BBE: Did the filming go smoothly, or were there any spills?
LM: Uhhhh guilty haha. I am INCREDIBLY uncoordinated, and not great on wheels. Hence why the CIB crew skated, and I stayed on the ground. I definitely biffed it on the tractor, rode into Nick by accident, etc. One of the girls was nice enough to lend me her helmet. Safety first y’all!
BBE: Now that Gold Steps is back. What are your goals for the band?
LM: We want to keep playing shows and build up our following again, and we’d love to play a festival like Riot Fest or 8123 or So What Music Fest. We hope to keep reaching new people that our songs resonate with, and we’d love to get something situated with distribution and licensing so our songs can reach more people through other mediums than streaming platforms. We also want to keep working on the newer tracks we’ve started—yep, we’ve already started writing for the next release. [We would love to see you on So What?!]
BBE: What is next for your band?
LM: We’ve got a couple more videos to shoot and singles to drop, and then our first LP will be out in a couple of months. We originally said March sometime, but we’re still up in the air. We want to do this release right and take our time, so it makes the impact that we want it to.
BBE: What is the best way for fans to stay up to date on the band and connect with you?
LM: All of our social handles (FB/IG/TikTok, Twitter) are @goldstepsmke, but we’re most active on Instagram. We keep our story updated pretty regularly. We promote upcoming shows, our songs, merch, etc., along with all the other dumb stuff we do and videos of our adorable, sweet pup Katie.
BBE: Anything else you would like to add?
LM: It makes our day to see people responding to our music and sharing it with others, and we especially love when people share their response with us. The world seems fractured right now, but music is a universal community that brings people together from across all nations, languages, backgrounds. And we’re stoked to be part of that community.
Also be sure to check out Nick’s other work as Thief Club! He’s an incredible songwriter with a knack for hooks and big choruses. He’s also just a super cool dude, a kayak instructor by day, really down to earth and connected to nature. We’re lucky to count him as a friend.
