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. Background and recording The Donnas released their fifth studio album Spend the Night in October 2002. Its lead single "Take It Off" peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Modern rock radio chart. Their profile grew when they appeared on covers for magazines, as well as perform on TV shows such as Saturday Night Live and Total Request Live. In preparation for Lollapalooza 2003, drummer Torry Castellano began suffering from De Quervain Tendonitis. They continued touring with Castellano receiving cortisone injections, until she reached the point where she was forced to stop playing. The band took an extended break from touring from September 2003 as Castellano had wrist surgery. Post-operation, they started rehearsing material for their next album in 2004, opting to play slower-tempo songs as Castellano was still recovering. Guitarist Allison Robertson said this choice allowed her to "explore parts that had more funk and feeling" to them. Around this time, the band's label Atlantic Records was undergoing personnel changes stemming from the company's owner Warner Music Group switching investors. The band met with several people, before landing on