Coming in hot from Detroit is the versatile four-piece band Van Go Go, sending listeners into a blast from the past with their latest retro-sounding single, "Get Up To You."
Van Go Go is Nathan Mackinder (vocals), Jason Schaller (guitar), Paxton Olney (bass), and Jonah Brockman (drums). Together, they've created a unique sound of their own by using influences from the past, blended with new ideas and sentiments from the modern day.
In their latest single, "Get Up To You," Van Go Go throws listeners back into the era of legendary John Hughes films like Simple Minds, OMD, and The Psychedelic Furs. Produced by Chuck Alkazian at the legendary Pearl Sound Studios, the new song "is about the journey to achieve the love you deserve," says lead vocalist Mackinder.
Hitting play on the hot new single, "Get Up To You," we're greeted with a vast sonic landscape that quickly transitions into a beaming synthpop vibe with a warm 80s rock edge. Nathan Mackinder's crooning vocals bring us back in time while his lyrical content confesses the mountains climbed, valleys trudged, and endless journey to "Get Up To You."
All while he passionately serenades this special someone, Van Go Go pumps up the energy with Schaller's riveting guitar riffs, Olney's thumping bass licks, and Brockman's high-energy drums. There's never a dull moment in this track, from the exciting instrumentals and production to Mackinder's expressive vocals and relatable words.
Need a little motivation and aren't sure where to look? We invite you to lose yourself in the passionate and energetic depths of Van Go Go's new single, "Get Up To You," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Van Go Go. We love the nostalgia and excitement packed in your heartfelt new single, "Get Up To You." What inspired your group to create this retro-sounding ballad?
“Get Up” is about the journey to achieve the love you deserve. I really wanted to create a track that you could drop into a John Hughes film from the 80s. His characters typically had a sort of struggle that they overcame throughout their story to get to a hopeful and better place. That’s the same emotion I wanted to capture in this song. Adapting retro sounds with keys and the Linn drums really brings this one to a “coming of age” feeling for me personally. I actually started this one with more vague and symbolic lyrics with an American type of sound. But then I had the idea of the 3 note lead over the chord progression that gives a sort of aching or longing feeling like Mike Campbell’s “Boys of Summer.” I changed the lyrics to a more straightforward love song, and it was almost like the song wrote itself. It feels and sounds like a song you would reflect on while driving on a road trip or taking a morning run. The mood matches the meaning really well.
Do you usually create songs reminiscent of past musical eras, similar to "Get Up To You?" Does your band have a relationship with music from the 80s?
VGG is certainly a bit of a retro-sounding band. Rather than fight if we are embracing it and exploring it even deeper. I don’t really want to pigeonhole us to the 80s, but that’s a bit of the decade we are exploring currently. We all really started in bands around the grunge era and, throughout time, have explored several different styles and genres. When we were younger, we didn’t really have much control over how precisely we were going to sound. We kind of threw things together in the basement on the gear we could afford then that was your sound. But now, having experience and more maturity, part of the creative process is discussing what you want a piece to sound like and actually achieving it. I also don’t feel like there is one particular genre of rock dominating the scene at this moment in time. I see a lot of artists going retro with their sounds, and that in itself could be the new genre.
What was your band's process like when in the studio creating "Get Up To You"? How did you bring the song to life?
We have a formula going on right now, and it’s working pretty well. I’ll typically throw up the base to a song on an acoustic guitar with a melody at Jonah’s studio. We then start to build the track piece by piece in preproduction and then take those tracks to the studio with Chuck. Some things we keep from the demos, and some get replaced in the final mixes. It really is allowing us to explore new things sonically and gives everyone time to develop their parts and give strong performances on the recordings. We don’t all life close to each other, so this really works without interrupting our personal lives too much. How did you want to make your audience feel when listening to "Get Up To You?" What sort of experience did you want to offer listeners?
I hope this track comes across as a cool retro sound with a modern sentiment. If it takes an older listener to a simpler time in their life or brings a younger listener a new sound they haven’t related to before, I think we will have achieved what we set out to do. What’s next?
VGG has several tracks recorded and unreleased. We have a ton of songs in the demo stage and hope to be able to complete a full album early next year. We have also started to play out live a bit this year and are celebrating the release of this single at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Virginia on September 9th. We will be recording a video for the song at the festival and can’t wait to get in front of a crowd that size to perform.