Silent Hour/Golden Mile is the debut solo EP by American musician Daniel Rossen, released on March 20, 2012 by Warp Records. The self-produced EP comprises tracks Rossen had initially written for Grizzly Bear's fourth studio album, Shields (2012).[1]
Background and recording
After extensive touring in support of Grizzly Bear's third studio album, Veckatimest (2009), the band undertook a six-month hiatus, with Daniel Rossen writing new material during the break.
Rossen ultimately decided to release a solo EP; a decision informed by the band's increasing collaborative nature. Rossen noted, "Recently the way it’s been feeling is that if I finish a song and the full form is there – the lyrics and an arrangement I’ve already decided on – that pretty much automatically means it’s something I should work on alone. It doesn’t really work well to force parts onto Grizzly Bear. [...] Grizzly Bear has become very collaborative, very collective. That’s kind of why [the] EP happened."[2]
The majority of the EP was recorded in New York City, with Rossen stating, "I didn’t fully move out of the city but I was spending the majority of my time in upstate New York, a lot of it in the winter. I recorded a lot of [Silent Hour/Golden Mile] in that space of time out there."[2]