The producer for artists like Maggie Rogers and Del Water Gap and a seasoned artist in his own right, Gabe Goodman speaks to Atwood Magazine about supporting others (in his work and personal lives), learning how to love and be loved, and the songs off his intimate, dreamy debut album, ‘The Rock’!
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Stream: “Paul’s Auto Shop” – Gabe Goodman
He wished me the best and said to take care of you. I said, ‘That’s what I always do…’
Tender and heartfelt, Gabe Goodman’s latest single is, on the surface, a song about taking care of his old car from his high school days.
And if that were all it was, then “Paul’s Auto Shop” would still be a great song; after all, who can deny that special bond between a kid and his first set of wheels? Countless listeners can relate to that story of getting their license in their teens, and putting countless hours of tender loving care into what was clearly a rundown hunk of junk on its last legs.
But this song is so much deeper than that; as Goodman himself has been coming to recognize over years of self-reflection, self-work, and conscious reprogramming, the way he treated that car is a result of his childhood environment – a set of circumstances and conditions that, for better or worse, made him who he is today.
And that person is someone who, through thick and thin, shows up for his loved ones; someone who tries to fix the often unfixable; someone who, despite everything, still believes that love can conquer all – even when it can’t. A gentle and dreamy indie pop (or, as he calls it, “future folk”) reverie, “Paul’s Auto Shop” is a catchy, cathartic song of instinct and self-awareness.
Dwelling in his own innermost, intimate depths, Goodman gives us a candid, firsthand look at his psyche, and why he thinks he is the man he is today.
It’s always winter at
Paul’s Auto Mechanic Shop
and I’m always handing him my phone
and you’re always screaming
on the other end for no reason and
I’m always walking home
He wished me the best
and said to take care of you
I said that’s what I always do
That’s what I always do
Released August 7 via fullaway, “Paul’s Auto Shop” is the third song taken off Gabe Goodman’s forthcoming debut solo album, The Rock (out September 27). A Boston-bred, LA-based producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist and former member of bands like Magic Man, Photocomfort, and Future Teens (which he co-founded with Daniel Radin), Gabe Goodman is a man of many talents, and an often unseen, but present force behind many recent indie, alternative, and pop music releases – including songs by Del Water Gap (“Ode To A Conversation Stuck in Your Throat”), Maggie Rogers (“Symphony”), Rainbow Kitten Surprise, ROLE MODEL, Olivia O’Brien, Field Medic, and Anjimile. As a producer, he’s helped these artists and many more like them find, hone, and lean into their voice – and channel that voice into music that hits hard and leaves a lasting mark on the ears, the heart, and the soul.
“I really believe my job is to discern how the artist needs me and to just do that. Sometimes they don’t need me to do much but hit record, and that’s also great. Every one I work with has a different thing that they are looking for in a collaborator, and so I just try to fill the space as best I can,” he tells Atwood Magazine. “I try to bring back the things I learn from doing this to my work and hope it makes me a better producer and writer and person. It’s hard to distill that or quantify it.”
While he’s been releasing solo material for the past six-plus years – including two EPs, 2018’s Dismissing the Gardener and 2020’s new things, and well-received standalone singles such as 2021’s “When I Say That I Love You” – The Rock is Goodman’s first longform, definitive statement. He describes it as an earnest and curious record delving deep into his identity, his history, his relationships, etc. – all those intangible things that make up the sum of his parts. The songs “The Rock” and “Magical Thinking” announced Goodman’s “return” to the spotlight (after a three-year gap) earlier this spring; he announced his album’s release together with “Paul’s Auto Shop,” which, as it turns out, was the first song he wrote for the record.
Whether it was intentional or not, “Paul’s Auto Shop” absolutely sets the tone for what folks can expect from this season of Gabe Goodman. It’s intimate and vulnerable, relaxed and soothing, but still an intense, exhilarating listen. “I think at the time I was just stoked I had written something I had felt excited about,” Goodman recalls. “It wasn’t for a while after that I understood that it was a part of a bigger project.”
It’s always something like csi: miami
And the lights completely off
During commercials you
call me with questions
That I’ve answered every day for a month
Diving deeper into the song and what it means to him, Goodman explains how “Paul’s Auto Shop” really is a nosedive into not just who he is, but why he is the way he is. The lyrics are personal, yet relatable – that perfect balance of intimate and universal.
“‘Paul’s Auto Shop’ is about trying to fix what will always be broken – whether that be a 2002 Ford Taurus with a rat living in its cabin air filter, or the most significant relationships in our lives,” he tells Atwood Magazine. “There are a lot of things that love actually can’t conquer, but I wrote this about what has felt like my never-ending quest to test those limits.”
“It’s about family and taking care of family,” he continues. “I like to think of it as music to drive to – windows down, check engine light on… I finished most of it in a few hours and then spent two years tweaking it.”
Together with “Magical Thinking” and “The Rock,” “Paul’s Auto Shop” sets the scene for a truly enchanting, immersive, irresistibly warm and wondrous debut album.
Atwood Magazine recently caught up with Gabe Goodman for a conversation about songwriting, production, and his first full-length record. Dive into “Paul’s Auto Shop” and the rest of The Rock in our interview below, and stay tuned for more to come from the singer/songwriter and producer as he unveils more of his upcoming record, set to release September 27!
But no one’s ever gonna love you
the way that I wish that I could
And no one’s gonna make it better
But that’s what I always do
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:: stream/purchase Paul’s Auto Shop here ::
:: connect with Gabe Goodman here ::
A CONVERSATION WITH GABE GOODMAN
Atwood Magazine: Great to meet you, Gabe! For those just discovering you for the first time, who is Gabe Goodman? What should people know about you and your music, right off the bat?
Gabe Goodman: Nice to meet you too! I’m Gabe, I’m from outside of Boston, and live out in LA and spend most of my time making music.
You’ve worked with Maggie Rogers, Del Water Gap, RKS, Field Medic, and quite frankly countless of my favorite acts. How, if at all, has working with these artists informed your own solo artistry?
Gabe Goodman: They’re some of my favorite acts too, and I feel really lucky I’ve gotten to work with them and any artist who lets me be a part of their process. One thing that is consistent across everyone you listed is a distinctive perspective and voice. Everything they make, no matter who they collaborate with, sounds like it could only come from them; they are the only people who could be making it. I really admire that, and it’s made me work hard to hone and protect my voice in my own songs.
It’s been four years since the release of your last EP, new things. What is your relationship like with those songs these days; how have they grown with you, and how has your relationship with that record changed since it first came out?
Gabe Goodman: To be perfectly honest, I’m someone who struggles to look backwards or revisit old work. It’s like reading old journals and being like “damn that’s what I was all riled up about?” which can be cathartic but also uncomfortable in some ways. I love having them as a snapshot of where I was at, I just don’t think about ‘em all that much.
The Rock, your debut album, is now coming out all these years later! How do you feel this record captures your artistry and reintroduces you today, especially compared to new things and dismissing the gardener?
Gabe Goodman: The first thing I think of is that it feels like the culmination of making records with my best friend Will Radin, which we’ve been doing together for about 15 years now (this is gonna make me sound like an old head). We met in high school, and he has been a part of all my projects ever since. I think after all these years it’s so nice to listen to this record and all of the work we’ve done together and be able to chart our growth so clearly. I’m very proud of us.
So far you’ve released three songs off The Rock. How do these tracks set the scene for what’s to come?
Gabe Goodman: I think they’re a nice cross section of the whole project in terms of production and themes and all that. “The Rock” is definitely the brightest the album gets – there aren’t really a lot of other songs to grill hot dogs to, if that’s what you came here for.
What is the significance of the album name “The Rock,” and how (if at all) do you feel that name captures the spirit of its songs?
Gabe Goodman: There’s a few meanings to me, but I’d say the biggest one is a lot of the record deals with figuring out how to love and be loved and I liked the idea of seeing The Rock as a heart – all at once something that is steadfast (being someone’s rock) and also something that is hard and jagged and immovable, something you can climb. Also there’s a Sisyphus thing happening I guess. Not sure if any of that makes sense, I haven’t tried to explain it too much.
So, just to be clear, it’s NOT a Dwayne Johnson reference / homage?
Gabe Goodman: If he’s interested in getting involved in promotion, it certainly can be.
I actually really love your song “The Rock” - that chorus, “I’m gonna love her the rest of my life,” is so endearing, heartfelt, and sweet. Can you tell me more about this song, and where it came from?
Gabe Goodman: I think it’s about just the euphoric moments of a newer relationship where everything is infinite and amazing and you’re like “wow my life is incredible, I’m in love.” So much of the album tries to work through more complicated emotions and so I felt like for all of that to have weight, a song like this was necessary on the project – it’s the feeling worth fighting and struggling for. It was the last one we finished and we tried so many versions, it proved to be hard to nail. But at some point I was listening to Dave Mathews Band and I was like “oh, it should be this.” I love his music a lot, it was super influential to me, and I love how earnest he is even when he’s singing things that are maybe a little silly. It’s so not ironic or posturing or anything, it’s just true to him. I felt like that’s the best way to think about a song like this – just “hey, I don’t care if it’s cringe or over the top, I’m just in love right now and I don’t care who knows.”
Conversely, a friend recently said they actually saw it as a sad song, and I really liked that take and found it interesting. Beyond being flattered that anyone was listening closely enough to my lyrics to have a take about them.
“The Rock” came with a B-side by the name of “Magical Thinking” - something I’m told I do quite a bit. I love the lush harmony and sense of wonder you built in just two minutes’ time. What’s the story behind this track?
Gabe Goodman: Hah! This is one of my favorites I’ve ever written. Funnily, I was in a band called Future Teens a long time ago and had written a song called “Girlfriend on a Gap Year” that was essentially a pop punk version of this. I hadn’t felt like I’d fully captured what I wanted to, and so “Magical Thinking” came about. The original chorus was “I still believe in magic” repeated a few times, which Will and I eventually decided was too on the nose, but that’s where the title comes from.
The story goes: Basically, the summer after high school, my senior year girlfriend and I stayed together but she went to a precollege program and I worked for her mom at an acupuncture office. I had fucked up my college applications and was gonna take a gap year and just felt really lost. Eventually she went on to college and hooked up with some guy on the baseball team or whatever and there I was like “damn, I am the biggest loser in the whole world.”
I liked putting this one out with “The Rock” because to me it’s about perspective. The contrast of earnest and effortless love with a song about finding out my high school ex left my little indie ass for a jock felt really funny to me.
This now brings us to “Paul’s Auto Shop,” the album’s third single - and a song about trying to fix what will always be broken. I’m inspired by you saying “there are a lot of things that love actually can’t conquer, but I wrote this about what has felt like my never-ending quest to test those limits.” I’d love to dive deeper into this concept; where and how do you find yourself testing those limits? Why do you think you do that in the first place?
Gabe Goodman: My household growing up was complicated and I had to become an adult pretty quickly and was often in a position of needing to fix things that were above my pay grade as, say, a 14-year-old. It’s affected my life in a lot of ways, and I’ve spent the past few years trying to do some reprogramming and I’m still working on it. Being exposed to mental illness as a kid, it takes a long time to understand that it is a force bigger than you. People you assume are acting in good faith are not always capable of doing so, and they can’t help it and you can’t change it. You still love them, but that love has to take a different shape eventually. This song was me trying to work through that realization.
In high school I had this 2002 Ford Taurus that a mechanic named Paul up the street sold me for basically nothing. Horrible car, never ran properly. I used it to drive to school and to my job at the diner on the weekends. The mechanic would help me with repairs and try to not charge me much, but at the end of the day it was only ever going to be itself. I think I eventually just gave it to someone for parts.
This was also the first song you wrote for The Rock. How did it inform the rest of the album? Do you see it as the prototype, in any way, for the record as a whole?
Gabe Goodman: I think at the time I was just stoked I had written something I had felt excited about and it wasn’t for a while after that I understood that it was a part of a bigger project.
You’re clearly a lyrically focused, if not driven, songwriter, and so I’d love to know, do you have any favorite lines or stanzas among these first three singles?
Gabe Goodman: I really love “Magical Thinking,” especially the first verse. Shout out to all the Skype users out there!
summer 2011 there was nothing on my walls
it looked like a prison on skype
you said baby i miss you so much
and your mother gave me money for a flight
holding a funnel cake on the fourth of july
you had a large lemonade
montgomery gentry asked if we’d die for our country
and it seemed like a reasonable trade
it seemed like a reasonable trade
In the spirit of teasing listeners, what else can fans look forward to off the new album? Anything we can share to start getting folks amped up and excited?
Gabe Goodman: I think my two favorites are songs called “Dreaming Is The Same As Living” and “Circumstances,” which will not be out ’til the full thing arrives (on 9/27 pre-save on your DSP of choice!) – I’m excited for folks to hear those. Lots of strings and horns, largely by my friends Reid Jenkins and Michael Blasky, respectively.
Speaking of getting excited, what most excites you about releasing your first full-length record? Can you share a bit about the experience of making it, and now finally sharing these songs with the world?
Gabe Goodman: This album was hard to make – it sat at about 80% done for maybe a year, and at times I wasn’t sure if I’d finish it. Production work had picked up and life had gotten intense, my heart felt elsewhere. A lot of the productions were started in LA and then I’d finish them in New York at Will’s studio. It was also the first time that most of the instruments on my songs were not played by me or Will – we had a lot of contributions from very talented friends. It really felt like a puzzle that was on the kitchen table for a very long time and we’d every so often get a couple pieces in the right place. It’s been so gratifying to have it finally done and to see it as a complete picture. I’m stoked to hear what people think!
Well, I'm glad to hear you got it to that finish line. As a producer, I’m curious, how does (or how did) the act of producing yourself compare to, say, working with Maggie Rogers or S. Holden Jaffe? Is it especially different when it’s your own songs, your own voice, etc.?
Gabe Goodman: I think with production work, I really believe my job is to discern how the artist needs me and to just do that. Sometimes they don’t need me to do much but hit record, and that’s also great. Every one I work with has a different thing that they are looking for in a collaborator and so I just try to fill the space as best I can. I try to bring back the things I learn from doing this to my work and hope it makes me a better producer and writer and person. It’s hard to distill that or quantify it into a specific thing though. Additionally, Will and I have very specific shared language and way of working and it’s been to fun to marry that with my experiences working with others and see how it can make the work stronger.
Bringing it back to “Paul’s Auto Shop” as we close, what do you love most about this song in particular, and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
Gabe Goodman: There are three drum kits on this simultaneously… which doesn’t sound true, but it is. Fun!
In the spirit of paying it forward, who are you listening to these days that you would recommend to our readers?
Gabe Goodman: As far as new stuff, I’ve been loving the new Fontaines singles and also my friend Olivia Kaplan has put out a couple songs recently that I think are beautiful and special. I’ve been returning to Westerman’s music a lot, whom I’m a huge fan of, as well as Here We Go Magic, Luke Temple’s old band. I also am having my first moment of being into R.E.M. which has been fun. Also the song “Erica Western Teleport” by Emperor X, one of my all time favorites. Also, a lot of artists I work with on the production side that I’m very proud of have been dropping – Hollis Howard, Zinadelphia, Daniel Nunnelee, Role Model, Andrea Bejar, 44phantom. Gratetful to be a part of it all.
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:: pre-save/purchase The Rock here ::
:: stream/purchase Paul’s Auto Shop here ::
:: connect with Gabe Goodman here ::
Stream: “Paul’s Auto Shop” – Gabe Goodman
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