Rising synthpop duo, Great Good Fine Ok have been busy. Following the release of their III EP in 2017, Jon Sandler and Luke Moellman have been going non-stop, writing, recording and releasing music all in between seemingly endless tour dates and festival appearances. Ahead of their “Spring Is Sprung” tour with Smallpools in May, they dropped their emotionally powerful single, “Change” and just last week, they unveiled “Touch,” the second single from their upcoming fall EP. Although both new songs stay true to the duo’s signature post-space age/retrofuturistic sound, they also have a more organic, emotional and human quality about them.
With five months still left in 2018, it’s safe to say that Great Good Fine Ok still have a few tricks up their sleeves before the year comes to an end. With more tour dates likely and new music on the horizon, the rest of the year is looking bright for the band. In the meantime, watch the music video for “Change” and read more about GGFO’s new music below.
Interview by Dom Vigil
You guys have had one hell of a year already, from SXSW and your tour with Smallpools back in May to Electric Forest and even some new music! What have been some of the most exciting moments of 2018 so far?
Playing SXSW this year was super fun! Our co-headline tour with Smallpools was definitely one we’ll never forget. Such amazing shows every night for 5 weeks. We played some cool festivals this summer. We released “Change” and “Touch”. It’s been an awesome year so far!
You’ve been gradually releasing some new music this year – first “Change” and now your newest single, “Touch.” What are some of your favorite things about these new songs?
I love that sonically they feel a little more organic than some of our previous songs. We used instruments that we’ve rarely/never use – acoustic guitar, lap steel, acoustic piano. They feel less dreamy and more human, which is a direction we’ve definitely been leaning towards lately.
I want to talk a little bit about “Change” because not only is the song gorgeous, but you recently released an incredible music video for it as well. What inspired the video that accompanies it? What story did you want to tell?
Thank you! The video was a collaboration between us, our label Ultra, this amazing artist/graphic animator Sam Mason and a production company in Atlanta called RiTE Media. Our intention was two-fold. We wanted to visually convey GGFO’s transformation from metaphorically being “in space” to landing on a planet. We also wanted to show a love story where something massive changes. In this case, the boy’s destiny is to travel to space but in doing so, he must leave his true love on earth. Any more interpretation I’d like to leave up to the viewer.
What was the most rewarding thing about working on “Change” and the video that goes along with it?
This song is one of the most personal one’s we’ve ever written, so It was amazing and inspiring to work with so many other talented people on the MV who connected so much with the song. The passion that everyone was contributing was palpable. It really felt like we were working on something bigger than any one individual. It was a very unique experience.
What inspired your newest track, “Touch”? What would you like listeners to take away from it?
“Touch” is the product of being in a good relationship. Truly a literal love song. “When you touch my body there’s nobody that can touch this love”. I hope everyone experiences that kind of passion at some point and can relate to finding real happiness in merely touching, or being touched, by another person.
With both new songs out now, can fans expect to hear more music soon? Possibly a full-length in the future?
Fans can definitely expect more music! All I’ll say is that I can’t wait for Fall. 🙂
What goals have you had in mind while working on new music? How would you like to see yourselves grow or evolve moving forward?
I would love to keep experimenting with how far the GGFO musical spectrum can go. Playing with different subject matter and sounds, collaborating more, and hopefully surprising people.
Although you’ve been incredibly busy so far this year, I’m sure fans are always wondering when you’re going to be hitting the road again. Do you have any more touring plans this year that you can share?
We love touring, so asap, but definitely once we release more music.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for having us! 🙂
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