The Greeting Committee returns to A&R bar on Sunday, July 21, to bring their newly released album, EVERYONE'S GONE AND I KNOW I’M THE CAUSE, to life.
As the name suggests, Kansas City-born indie-pop group, The Greeting Committee, is full of customary midwestern friendliness, with a sound bassist and producer, Pierce Turcotte, describes as “Fender Stratocaster playing major seventh chords.”
Tyler Krippaehne
While the group has been knighted by the alternative/indie kingdom following a 2019 tour with Hippo Campus and opening appearances with Bombay Bicycle Club, it keeps a down-to-earth feel that charms its growing fanbase, deemed “the garden,” as well as those who happen to stumble upon its music through a curated playlist.
Their most recent album, EVERYONE'S GONE AND I KNOW I’M THE CAUSE, was released in late June and was crafted during a transitional period for the band, which included the changing of its members and the existential personal growth and change that comes with being in your mid-to-late-20s.
As of summer 2024, two original members of The Greeting Committee remain, Addie Sartino and Pierce Turcotte, who formed the band as high schoolers. While not an original member, Noah Spencer is a longtime guitarist with the band.
For the latest album, Turcotte and Sartino worked heavily with each other while also dipping their toes into collaborating with others in the industry, made evident by the track titled “Where’d All My Friends Go?” featuring alt-rockers, flipturn.
“(we) broadened our horizons and tried collaborating with people more,” Sartino says. “I think that made for a really enjoyable experience, and I think for the first time, I felt like I knew what I was doing when writing. I don't know if I felt like that at the time, but looking back, I kind of feel that way, which is a nice reflection to have 10 years in, right?”
EVERYONE'S GONE AND I KNOW I’M THE CAUSE serves as a pop-leaning makeover, drawing on alt-pop styles popularized by artists such as Clairo and The 1975.
You know- the type of music that says ‘I’m kinda sad but I still want to groove.’
Tyler Krippaehne
However, not all tracks sound the same, likely a product of Turcotte's musicality and experimental tendencies. This flexible, fun, coming-of-age sound made the group a perfect choice to appear in Netflix’s To All the Boys: Always and Forever, the third film in the popular teen romance series.
“They were looking for a band to play on the rooftop, to be in this like NYU party thing, and I just think we fit the vibe of that, kind of coincidentally,” Turcotte says.
The track “popmoneyhits” follows the growing trend of artists unveiling the glitz and glamor centered around the entertainment industry and exposing a real person’s experience of yearning, and often greed, underneath it.
Irony surrounds the fun and catchy beat as if to imply the need to be palatable to a wide audience is considered the first priority when making a pop hit.
Other songs such as “All Alone” and “Little Bit More” have more of a Maggie Rogers/girl in red energy, with fleeting love stories and insecurities.
“What made me really love music was listening to other people being vulnerable and honest,” Sartino says. “It made me feel less alone in the world and I think it’s what inspired me…I feel like I'm more of a writer and a lyricist than a musician. I think I've known that, but I think I'm getting more comfortable with identifying there, it's this thing that lives within me to yap a lot and share how I'm feeling.”
EVERYONE'S GONE AND I KNOW I’M THE CAUSE is now streaming on all platforms.
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
