EXCLUSIVE: Kelley Mickwee’s ‘Gold Standard’ is a Country Love Song for the Ages

Kelley Mickwee takes an honest look at what makes a relationship last in her brand new track "Gold Standard," premiering exclusively at The Boot today.

Mickwee has become a pivotal figure in the Texas country scene over the past few years. You may know her as a member of the acclaimed Americana group The Trishas, alongside fellow talents Jamie Lin Wilson, Savannah Welch and Liz Foster. Most recently, she's performed as a part of Kevin Russell’s Shinyribs' Shiny Soul Sisters, providing background vocals and harmonies during his live shows. You may also recognize her as the voice of Austin’s “Sun Radio,” a station where, up until 2021, she helmed a live show every week for over five years.

But where Mickwee really shines is her work as a solo artist. Last year, she shared "Boomtown to Bust," her first new music since her 2014 solo record You Used to Live Here. With a new focus and drive to create something new, Mickwee is ready to share more of her new work with the world.

Produced and engineered by fellow Texas native and talented singer-songwriter Jonathan Tyler, "Gold Standard" taps into the magic of classic country duets from the 70s. Through vivid imagery and sharp honesty, Mickwee's lyrics feel universally relatable -- even if you haven't yet found a long lasting love.

"Owen Temple and I sat down one day to write a song called 'Gold Standard.' Rarely do we, as songwriters, start with the title, but this one was different," Mickwee tells The Boot. "We worked backwards. We told the story of two people who have loved each other their whole lives, who went through rough and rocky patches along the way, but found their way back to each other in the end. The kind of love we all measure our own against....the Gold Standard. We wanted it to feel like it - could have been recorded by George and Tammy or Loretta and Conway, back in the day."

"It's a story about that photo on the wall of those two soulmates — the couple everybody envied and aspired to be," Temple says. "The couple that took the long way getting together, but once they find each other, they live up to the promises they made.  Their love becomes a model, an ideal, an institution. Usually, the path getting to that sweet spot is more bumpy and complicated than it appears, but when you find you have a love that's holding up, you treat it like the treasure it is."

Listen to "Gold Standard" below:

You can find more information about Kelley Mickwee's music and information about upcoming tour dates via her official website.

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