| Gold Medal | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 26, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | June–July 2004 | |||
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| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 34:01 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Butch Walker | |||
| The Donnas chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Gold Medal | ||||
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Gold Medal is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Donnas, released on 26 October 2004 through Atlantic Records. Leading up to an appearance at the Lollapalooza 2003 festival, drummer Torry Castellano suffered from De Quervain Tendonitis, prompting wrist surgery. The band began rehearsing slower-tempo material, allowing guitarist Allison Robertson to experiment with her playing style. Following a false-start with Scott Litt, the band started working with producer Butch Walker. Sessions were held at Black in Back and Conway Recording Studios, Hollywood, California in June and July 2004. Gold Medal is a hard rock album that continues the sound of their fifth studio album Spend the Night.
Gold Medal received generally favourable reviews from music critics, some praising the band's musicianship and specifically highlighting Robertson's guitar playing, while others felt it lacked lyrical substance. The album sold over 13,000 copies in its first week of release, peaking at number 76 on the Billboard 200. "Fall Behind Me" was released as the lead single in October 2004, and the band promoted the album with the US tour at the end of 2004. "I Don't Want to Know (If You Don't Want Me)" was released as the second single from the album in March 2005, which was followed by a supporting slot for Maroon 5 on the Honda Civic Tour.