An Interview With The Brooklyn Synth-Pop Duo, GREAT GOOD FINE!

Photo Credit- Shervin Lainez

New York City synth pop duo, Great Good Fine Ok, are over the moon to share the intergalactic video for their latest single “Touch.” The striking short film picks up where the pairs previous “Change” video left off – the track initially launched via Billboard earlier this summer and has reached over 4 million spins on Spotify since.

Watch the “Change” music video here: https://youtu.be/k_xLAVRUMis.

The cinematic “Touch” visual was brought to life by RiTE Media Group in Atlanta under creative direction of Sam Mason. According to GGFO the underlying theme to the intergalactic love treatment is “that you cannot escape your destiny”. Adding, “Traveling through a wormhole to a distant planet only brought the space explorer closer to reuniting with his true love.”

Watch “Touch” here: https://youtu.be/zBziknSXtRY

The infectious singles are off Great Good Fine Ok’s upcoming EP due out later this year via Ultra Records. The duo’s deliciously retro-futuristic synth-pop songs have accumulated millions of streams – including their collaborations with pop rock band Before You Exit (“Find Yourself” – 33M streams) and Grammy-winning DJ / production duo The Chainsmokers (“Let You Go” – 54M streams). GGFO have transformed these dance floor ready tunes into a captivating live show. They have opened for acts ranging from Tove Lo to X Ambassadors to Penguin Prison and embarked on US tours with Betty Who, Joywave, Magic Man, Vacationer, Smallpools and Panama Wedding.

Brooklyn synthpop duo Great Good Fine Ok met one evening in 2013 and by the next morning had written their first song together, “You’re the One for Me,” a gauzy, heart-thumping anthem that hit #1 on Hype Machine twice in one month and instantly established the group’s sound with Jon Sandler’s dance floor falsetto soaring over Luke Moellman’s lush post-Space Age production, the perfect soundtrack for retrofuturism.

Connect With Great Good Fine Ok Here:

www.greatgoodfineok.com

www.facebook.com/GreatGoodFineOk

www.instagram.com/greatgoodfineok

www.twitter.com/GreatGoodFineOk

Learn more about Great Good Fine Ok in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! What is on tap for the rest of your day?

Writing lyrics, and enjoying the unseasonable warm weather in NY. 80 degrees is October…I’ll take it. 

Since we are now at the back-end of 2018, how has this year treated this band? What is one musical goal that you have had for this year? How close are you to reaching it?

This year we’ve released a bunch of music, toured a ton, and created some amazingly ambitious content. Every year we want to challenge ourselves musically/artistically and continue to push the boundaries of GGFO. I think we did that in 2018. 

Can you recall the moment when you thought you could be in this group together? Was it hard to think of a name that you could agree on?

Luke and I met and became friends about 6 years ago when he was living around the corner from me in BK with my close friend and piano player. About 4 years ago we ran into each other on the street after not seeing each other for months and decided to write a song together. That night “You’re the One for Me” was created.  We put a band together and started writing more songs, GGFO was born. There wasn’t really one moment when we decided to start a group – it all happened organically over the course of a few months. 

I (Jon) came up with the name years before GGFO started and kept it in my mind as a “good band name”. No idea how I thought of it.  When it came time for Luke and I to name this project, I suggested Great Good Fine Ok, and it stuck. 

How do you think your hometowns have influenced the sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group?

We are both from different towns in Upstate NY. I’m not sure if this had influenced our sound, but it is interesting that we are randomly from the same place and click so well musically. 

Let’s talk about your newest single “Easy.” What was the inspiration for this track? 

“Easy” started off as a song about a failing relationship. The long late night talks, the misunderstandings – you both feel the impending doom, but neither want to give up. However, in the time between starting and finishing the song, it evolved into something deeper.  There are a lot of factors in the world right now that seem to be making life harder than usual for everyone. We all know what those are. On top of that, I’ve recently experienced a lot of personal pain, sickness and death. “Nobody said life was easy” has become a comforting expression. But, we’re all in this together, and as the song’s bridge declares “we’ll be just fine!” 

How does “Easy” prepare listeners for your upcoming EP to be released later this year via Ultra Records?

This EP is very eclectic musically. It shows a wide spectrum of what GGFO is capable of, and “Easy” is the first in a batch of songs that departs from the aesthetic of “Change” and “Touch”.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere?

We love touring, and also love being home recording.  I would never want one without the other.  However, I (Jon) love performing more than anything in the world, so touring is my favorite thing.  I know Luke is happier in the studio. 

Do you have any upcoming fall or winter tours planned? Where can fans see you perform next?

We plan on touring again once our EP is released! 

Do you find that all of social media and keeping up with your fans has gotten so overwhelming? OR do you rely heavily on others to take care of that for the band? Which platform would you say that you enjoy engaging with the most?

We manage social media ourselves, and we don’t find it overwhelming. We love to interact with our fans, and respect them enough to always give them our time. 

We are currently living through a very trying and politically charged time right now so I am curious to know how you all think being musicians and in this band still gives you the most joy in life today? 

People need art more than ever.  It gives me a lot of joy to think that maybe we create something that helps people through this tough time, or provides a much needed escape.