The new album from Little Champion, Peaks Island and Other Places is a melodic journey through places both real and emotional — blending folk intimacy, rock/pop flair, and lyrical snapshots of longing, change, and quiet revelations. The Asheville, NC-based music project of Dustin Goldklang caught our ears in the past year with fantastic singles like “Overpass” and “Like the Earth is Flat.” His second album following 2023’s Curiosity, Peaks Island and Other Places continues his penchant for quality, relatable songwriting — all while expanding the project’s sound from DIY charms into a more ambitious, layered captivation.
The opening title track enamors with a folk-set introspection, capturing the titular location of Peaks Island and the yearning to stay “for a lifetime, or at least one year.” The narrative depictions of arriving at a potential place of personal tranquility, beginning to sign a lease, but then backing off illustrate an artful thematic hold throughout the release — capturing certain moments in life that require a period of contemplation and ensuing call-to-action. “I could use a jump-start, maybe new spark plugs or something,” Goldklang sings on the ensuing, rock-friendly “Drive,” imploring to “point me to something electric,” in a quest for meaning. Right away, with its strong opening one-two punch, the album unveils a heart-on-sleeve immersion in conveying the quest for one’s true place — whether it be a physical location, occupation, or mere feeling of the heart.
Also immersing in its specific time and place, “Suburbs” struts a twangy rock breeziness amidst perceptions of suburbia’s knack for repetition and disappointments — though also its sense of comforting calm. “It smells like the suburbs, cut grass and Panera,” the vocals emit, punctuated by further displays of soul-searching: “I don’t know what I’m doing with my life / But I’d rather not think about that tonight.” Further intertwining of heartrending senses of loss and town-setting quaintness show on “The Other Side of Town,” spanning from lush folk-ready immersion to the ardent “just passing through, and I won’t be heading back soon,” declarations of moving on from previous tumult. “Rustling” is another highlight in the serene folk aesthetical vein, sending chills in its wordless vocal incorporations.
Compelling in its synth-laden bounciness and nostalgic rearview lyricism, “Kids in the NW” showcases Goldklang’s pop smarts, as well. “No parachute, no safety net,” the vocals emanate, exemplary of basking in carefree actions throughout childhood; the playful synth colorfulness melds aptly within the spirited lyrical imagery. An apt finale, “So Long” weaves a gentle folk styling alongside more musings on recovering from loss — “you were part of me for so long, I don’t know what’s left.” Set within an array of styles — from punchy rock to synth-touched hookiness and subdued folk — Peaks Island and Other Places compels with an abundance of enthralling, sincere songwriting.
