Goetz produces all of his own music and has released an album and two EPs.
Courtesy | Samuel Goetz Instagram

Music by old school bands such as The Schizmatics and Lost Mary still plays throughout campus. This year, a new musician, freshman Samuel Goetz, has gained a following at Hillsdale. 

His music plays on the speakers in AJ’s Cafe and the walk past Dennis “Gate Guy” Cook. He has two thousand followers on Spotify.

Goetz said he has developed a unique form of indie pop that is emotional and introspective. His soft vocals are usually complemented by ambient techno beats that remind the listener of early video game ambience.

Goetz’s music career started during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was only 12 when he decided to create a song with his best friend and cousin.

“I was on FaceTime with my cousin for hours every day, making our first song on my mom’s old computer,” Goetz said. “He would give ideas, and I would turn them into notes on the keyboard.” 

In his first song Goetz tried to express his frustration about lockdown and his fear for the future.

“It was about how terrible it was just being stuck at home because I love to go exploring and hang out in various places,” he said. “And so I was like, it sucks to just stay inside.”

The song did not have a name, and Goetz never published it. Despite this, he said it taught him the basics of creating music.

Goetz has worked independently on all his songs since then, and said he sees each song as an expression of his soul.

“It gives me a chance to reflect on myself in order to write lyrics about things going on with my mind and my soul,” Goetz said. “It’s definitely an emotional outlet and also a way of attempting to help those around me.”

Since he arrived at Hillsdale, his songs have gained popularity among his peers at his dorm Koon.

Senior Noah Fuller, a resident assistant at Koon, met Goetz at a cookout during freshman move in. After talking with Goetz about his music Fuller said he looked on Spotify and realized Goetz had a good following.

“He tells me what it’s called, and I pull it up, and he’s got a bunch of listeners,” Fuller said. “We grilled out to his music, which was pretty cool.”

Fuller said each song is full of “infinite rizz” and said he is optimistic about Goetz’s future.

Freshman Andre Dragan, despite not caring for most songs in Goetz’s genre, said he enjoys the way Goetz approaches his work.

“I personally only listen to heavy metal, and the fact that I’m enjoying his kind of music blows my mind,” Dragan said. “I’m very excited to see what else he makes, what else he’ll do, because he’s definitely got a talent for it.”

When he creates a new song, Goetz starts with a melody and then builds in the lyrics. 

“Every song starts differently,” Goetz said. “I’d say the most common way that a song pops into my head is the chord progression first, and then I think of a nice melody to go with it. Usually the last thing I put into a song is the lyrics, which is often the opposite for most people I’ve found.”

Goetz said his music comes to him naturally and spontaneously, and so his albums do not fit into a single genre.

“I would say that no two albums sound very alike, just because I love to experiment. I love all genres of music,” Goetz said. “Right now I’m working on music that I would categorize as psychedelic synth.”

Goetz’s songs, despite their diversity, all draw inspiration from a select group of artists.

“One of my favorites would be Tame Impala,” Goetz said. “And then there’s this duo named Magdalena Bay, and also Foster the People, who sing ‘Pumped Up Kicks.’ And Toro y Moi is not as well known, but I love his music. These are some of my biggest inspirations.”

Goetz said he hopes to major in music.

“I would love to be able to study one of my favorite composers, Gustav Holst. He made ‘Holst: The Planets,’ which is my favorite symphony of all time,” Goetz said. “I want to get to know his character more, just how he went about composing.”

After college, Goetz said he plans to take his passion for music and make it into a career.

“Writing music is definitely a passion project,” Goetz said. “If I could do it as a living, then I would love that. Otherwise, I would love to become a band teacher for a high school, or maybe conducting for a college or a professional symphony. I would not be picky. I just love everything about music.”

Goetz’s advice for aspiring music producers is to not be afraid of the steep learning curve and to start simple with the software.

“Don’t get overwhelmed, as it doesn’t take too much time to work your way around how to use certain software,” Goetz said. “And you don’t need expensive equipment in order to make music that you’re happy with.” 

You can find Goetz’s Instagram page at @samuelgoetzmusic. His songs are also available on all music platforms under Samuel Goetz.