Great Good Fine Ok

Change precedes evolution. By embracing it, we not only expand our potential, but we also actualize it. Rather than shy away from change, Great Good Fine Ok has generated a new mindset by embracing a fresh beginning, not because they’ve grown tired of their ways, but because they have grown, period. The Los Angeles-based duo—vocalist Jon Sandler and multi-instrumentalist Luke Moellman—give their music space to naturally morph, co-mingling their shimmering and spacey synth pop with elements of R&B, funk, disco, indie, and pop, for good measure. Following hundreds of millions of streams and widespread acclaim from Billboard, LADYGUNN, Entertainment Weekly, and more, the pair continue to push boundaries and progress on their 2024 EP Exist for Nettwerk Music Group and more to come.

“Change can certainly be the catalyst for creativity and inspiration,” notes Jon. “It’s why this batch of songs sounds fresh, while oddly being the most GGFO music we’ve ever done. We’ve definitely evolved personally and musically. The concepts are more mature, so the music is more colorful, vast, and nuanced both sonically and lyrically. It essentially reflects the hearts and minds of two guys who have learned a lot in the past ten years.”

Over the last decade, they’ve also consistently fascinated a fervent audience. Thus far, the duo have served up a string of fan favorite projects, including the III EP [2017], GGFOUR EP [2019], and Great Good Five Ok EP [2021]. Along the way, “Find Yourself” [with Before You Exit] tallied over 50.8 million Spotify streams, while “Take It or Leave It” surpassed 33.6 million Spotify streams followed by “You’re the One for Me” [with Digital Farm Animals] at 13.3 million+ Spotify streams. Plus, The Chainsmokers enlisted them for “Let You Go – Radio Edit” [feat. Great Good Fine Ok], piling up a staggering 78 million+ Spotify streams. Additionally, they remixed tracks for Twenty One Pilots, Foxes, and many more. Along the way, they sold out headline shows, toured with X Ambassadors, Betty Who, Joywave, and Magic Man, and graced the bills of festivals such as Bonnaroo, Firefly, and Bunbury, to name a few.

In 2022, the guys traded Brooklyn for Los Angeles. Adding more live instrumentation and pulling inspirations from “seventies jazz-rock” and R&B, they are channeling Steely Dan, Prince, and other influences.

“We were famously based in Brooklyn, where we met, so going to L.A. was a big move,” affirms Jon. “I was there for eighteen years, so leaving was pretty significant. Musically, it’s definitely a departure. It’s not as heavily electronic in terms of the production. We connected to a different part of what we like about music.”

“From a lyrical point-of-view, all of the songs are inspired by things going on in my life,” he continues. “The last two years have been uniquely weird and more complicated than ever. Even though I wanted to write about universally relatable topics like love, change, and time, I was coming from a more introspective place.”

That comes through on tracks like “Blame.” Soft piano underscores breathy verses only for the momentum to turn on a dime into a funkified, falsetto-powered hook backed by steady handclaps, strutting guitars, boisterous horns, and a disco beat practically tailormade for Studio 54 (as re-conceived in the metaverse).

“You’re in a relationship, and your significant other’s problems become your problems,” Jon reveals. “You start to wonder how much of it you can take and if it’s worth it.”

Warbling vocals give way to bass-y synths on “Will We Make It?” Hypnotic high-register glides over the bridge as Jon pleads, “I really need to know right now, will we make it?” It examines what the vocalist calls “the uncertain place I find myself in during relationships.”

Bass thumps through simmering drums and wah-wah groans on the neon-hued exhale of “Breathing.” “It’s a super relatable concept of the world falling apart either metaphorically or literally,” Jon goes on. “It’s not about what happens, but how you deal with it. The first thing you have to do is just breathe. Even if everything is crumbling, breathe through it.”

Then, there’s “Led Me To You” where the snappy groove uplifts another towering display of vocal fireworks. “To a degree, everyone experiences trauma,” Jon adds. “Most people do find happiness in relationships, so it’s a healthy way to look at it, ‘Hardship led me to you’.”

Meanwhile, the tender finale “Make This Moment Last” sees the duo lace a head-nodding bounce with raw vulnerability. “It’s about losing someone and being nostalgic,” Jon continues. “If you had more time, you feel like you’d appreciate it more.”

In the end, Great Good Fine Ok’s new sonic direction is not only inviting and alluring, but most of all, displays a great sense of a band evolving over time. Yet for Jon and Luke, their personal growth outside of music is clearly imprinted on the new material that they hope fans and newcomers alike will resonate with, both sonically and emotionally.

“I hope we make you laugh, cry or just dance - as long as it moves you, that’s a job well done to me,” Jon leaves off. “This is our ten-year anniversary. It’s the greatest honor to get to work with Luke for this long.”