Alternative, rock, indie, and pop — Goldpark’s genre is one that many can enjoy, and they’re bringing it to Iowa City this weekend.

On Oct. 15, Nashville-based alternative-rock band Goldpark will play for the first time in Iowa City. The band will jam out with their new sound at 7 p.m. at Elray’s Live and Dive, opening for fellow Nashville alternative artist Maggie Miles.

The band performed with Miles several other times so far on their fall tour, which began in August after the release of Goldpark’s first EP, titled One. Some of their stops so far have included Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, New York City, and Boston, among others.

The band formed in 2019, after its lead singer Wes Hunter met guitarist Andrew Smith through his part-time job at the time, and the duo began songwriting together. After they added Kyle Neblett on drums, the trio soon began talking with a label, and they got their official start as a band.

Goldpark is inspired by other bands like Coldplay, Kings of Leon, and Death Cab For Cutie. Hunter describes Goldpark’s sound as a combination of alternative, rock, indie, and pop.

“I typically say pop-sensible rock and roll. We want you to feel, like a rock and roll, rock feeling, but we write pop songs,” Hunter said.

While on tour, the band has also played with fellow rock and indie artists Watson Maack, Bre Kennedy, The Districts, Easy Honey, and The Thing with Feathers, and mainly aim to spread the word on their EP, which features five new songs in Goldpark’s usual rock-based genre.

Prior to releasing One, they had only released singles, so the release of their first EP is a big event for the band, Hunter said.

Hunter said the EP is an achievement the band is very proud of, especially considering that it was made while the band members were in quarantine during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Andrew and I both would kind of start ideas remotely,” Hunter said. “Most of the things on the EP were written kind of in a non-traditional way, where we would start ideas at home and then kind of flesh them out later.”

After writing their songs remotely, they would send the demos to their producer, Hunter West, in Nashville, where they would eventually become the final product, ready to play live for the band’s first tour.

Hunter said that he was excited to visit Iowa City, and that it would be his first time visiting the state of Iowa as a whole. He looks forward to playing in a college town, and is always interested to learn how people come to feel about Goldpark when visiting a new city.

“I think I’m just really excited. I’m always ready to experience the culture of any city and feel the energy of the people that show up,” Hunter said. “I think honestly, that’s kind of what I’m most excited about — for Iowa City and the rest of the tour.”