Take Offs and Landings: The Greeting Committee’s latest LP turns infinitely inward

The Greeting Committee. // Photo by Tyler Krippaehne

“I think the way that life is, at least for me, is just constantly getting hit in the face,” The Greeting Committee lead singer Addie Sartino says. “And it’s like, cool, just keep walking. What else are you gonna do?”

It’s been quite the decade for Kansas City natives The Greeting Committee. 10 years after its formation in Overland Park, the original four-member band was known for its youthful angst, stories of first loves, and lively guitars and rhythms. Now a decade later, the band has won over the hearts of Kansas City, and even the country. Despite their success, hard times fell on the band when two founding members disbanded shortly after the release of their 2022 album Dandelion.

Founding members—vocalist Addie Sartino and bassist Pierce Turcotte—have withstood the revolving door of bandmates. The duo channeled all the grief, heartbreak, and excessive self-reflection that came with the transformation to create their first independent record Everyone’s Gone And I Know I’m The Cause, which just released. [Editor’s note: All the digital streaming platforms are listed here. You can buy a vinyl pressing of the album through the band’s store right here. Hurry before our staff buys up all the copies.]

The Greeting Committee live. // Photo by Sophia Ragomo

“I feel like this new record sort of encompasses all those different feelings of change,” Turcotte says.

Many day-one fans may speculate about the band’s new faces, sound, and direction following the founding guitarist and drummer’s departure. It begs the question, “What even is a band?” Music, genre, and bands have consistently broken away from the boxes people place them in. Whether it’s Beyoncé going country, or Tame Impala being a one-man psychedelic ensemble, any harsh definition doesn’t fare well in art.

Sartino and Turcotte easily could have gone their separate ways and created their own careers in music, but they remain intertwined with the transcendent soul of The Greeting Committee.

“I’m not gonna abandon something that I’ve put so much of myself into, I wouldn’t even know how to do that. So it’s always just one foot in front of the other,” Sartino says. “I think that’s what plays a huge role in us continuing and trudging forward, despite, and in spite, of whatever changes get thrown our way. We love the community that we’ve built and the community that has built us.” Now backed by guitarist Noah Spencer and drummer Micah Ritchie, The Greeting Committee ushers in a new age for the band.

When people hear about bands parting ways, they typically picture fallouts reminiscent of Rumors-era Fleetwood Mac or a guitar-slinging Gallagher brother. The Greeting Committee’s story isn’t malicious, but rather one of the growing pains most of us face during our respective quarter-life crises.

“I’m very aware that I would never want to put something out that makes somebody feel hurt or betrayed. I do think that’s just like general respect,” Sartino says. Former guitarist Brandon Yangmi even got a “warning” text about the album name, “and he just kind of laughed at the album title,” telling Sartino, “Damn, you really went there. You always knew how to pull from what you were going through.”

“The original four-piece did therapy. It wasn’t a decision that anyone took lightly. At the end of the day, mental health, happiness, and safety all need to be prioritized,” Sartino says.

“I wouldn’t say this album is necessarily directly about us parting ways with our two previous band members. Maybe even more so actually, our manager from the beginning, just some very core people within our group, within our community that had sort of gone away for all different reasons,” says Turcotte about the various “goodbyes” that inspired this album.

The Greeting Committee live. // Photo by Sophia Ragomo

Everyone’s Gone And I Know I’m The Cause shows fans a different side of The Greeting Committee. Their previous work followed a more traditional indie sound, with excitable guitars backing passionate vocals about the melodrama of early adulthood. The lead single “popmoneyhits” takes on the guitar loops of The 1975, with the catchy chorus of a Charli XCX hit—definitely a change from the acoustic love ballad, “Hands Down,” that put them on the map.

“That song is ironic and I think a lot of people miss that,” Sartino says. With lyrics about how they want to be “dirty, dirty rich” and lose themselves to get what they want, “popmoneyhits” pokes fun at the allegations of them selling out. “That song was kind of my reward to myself. I have created enough songs that I feel are emotionally intelligent and lyrically challenging. I can have this one,” Sartino says.

The pop inspirations behind the album may lead fans to think of all the bad thoughts of selling out and going mainstream. “It’s funny knowing that people are probably going to say, ‘Oh, a sellout record, this production, blah, blah, blah,’” Sartino says. “This record of all records is the one that most things come from that living room in Kansas City.”

Sartino and Turcotte lived together for nine months here in KC, working from the production station—a small desk littered with various synths and a computer.

The track “Cyclical” sets the tone for the major themes of the album, which has a very After Laughter by Paramore feel, deceptively happy guitars, and rhythms with soul-crushing lyrics. Almost like the random wave of loneliness that hits you after being overserved at a party. “I think that’s where it creatively clicked into, ‘Okay, this is what this album is about,’” Turcotte says. “This is actually what the album has to be about,” Sartino adds. “Because my body is saying and screaming, ‘This is what we’re gonna go through. This is what we’re going to heal.’”

Major life changes, finding your footing in your career, and saying difficult goodbyes all contribute to the miserably exciting era of a person’s twenties. The album alludes to all the hardships of the coming-of-age’s final stages, which almost everyone can relate to. “This is not a unique, original experience. It’s something that’s kind of an inevitable feat of life,” Sartino says. “I think, to me, that is a part of the healing. Sharing it with other people, because that is how I realize that I’m not alone.”

The Greeting Committee live. // Photo by Sophia Ragomo

Even when we cognitively understand that we aren’t the only person to have faced a certain emotion, or experienced a particular grievance, it’s only human to still feel isolated in a moment. “All Alone” will be the most familiar track on the album, as it could easily fit into previous records like Dandelion. However, there’s an overwhelming somberness that can only come from a place of maturity. The sound is a dangerous mix for anyone on the verge of breaking no contact.

Something that The Greeting Committee excels in is the essential love songs. Many fan-favorite tracks include songs like “Elise” or “Hands Down,” which make you teary-eyed when you’re in love, and absolutely sob if you’re heartbroken. Despite all the turbulence throughout the album, romance found its way into the tracklist.

R&B’s sensual melodies and piano find their way onto the record in “Sex and Taxes.” “I don’t think my grandma will like that title,” Turcotte says. The band brought on an outside artist, Charlie Burg, to create this track. “I don’t think we could have done this just me and Addie. He really set a very different vibe with just his keyboard playing,” he says.

Outside artists influenced and assisted in the creation of some of the tracks, and worked to explore the more pop-based writing and production. Indie band Flipturn appears on “Where’d All My Friends Go?” and Coin’s Chase Lawrence helped write “A Little Bit More,” as well as “How It Goes.” “I thought that was really fun. It’s nice to work on a song with a complete stranger, then kind of wave goodbye, and then continue working on the rest of the record without them,” Turcotte says. “Maybe it’s the lack of attachment. It feels very freeing.”

When asked about what sets this album apart from previous Greeting Committee works, Sartino says, “I think all of those pieces of work are kind of built off of four people disagreeing with each other. And I think something really beautiful came out of that. This album is what it looks like when two people are really united in what they’re trying to do.”

Turcotte and Sartino shared the same mindset of wanting to break the rigid nature of a genre or a certain persona. “I think some of that freedom to write with a more pop mindset comes from putting in the time doing the really sad and vicious,” Sartino says. “I think having done that really allowed for us to say, ‘Okay, we’ve done that, it’s okay to try something new.’”

This August, The Greeting Committee will return to KC at the Midland Theatre for a special 10-year anniversary show. With more upbeat, dance-worthy tracks on the new album, fans can expect a damn good time. “There’s definitely an intention to try and write more visceral feeling music. I want the songs to rip when we play on tour,” Turcotte says.

The homecoming marks a big milestone for the band. “Oh, gosh, I’m so excited and nervous. I feel like I can’t even actually sit with the fact that we’re gonna play the Midland. That’s been a dream of mine for forever,” Sartino says. With a stacked lineup of Beach Bunny, Boyish, Miloe, and Caleb Hearon, there’s no doubt the show will be one fans won’t want to miss.

The Greeting Committee. // Photo by Tyler Krippaehne

“I just really want to show off Kansas City in the best way that I can. I think that’s putting on a kickass show but also rallying with different businesses, artists, and creators that we like to show what we’re about,” Sartino says. Despite their move to Nashville, Kansas City still holds a special place in the band’s heart. “It’s still my hometown, and I have all my family and I still have a lot of friends who live there. I still want to represent our hometown and feel connected to it,” Turcotte says.

The KC fanbase’s connection to the band remains incredibly strong, with a big portion of fans feeling like they grew up alongside these songs. “We were teenagers at the same time they were teenagers, and now we’re all in our 20s,” Sartino says. “There’s this specific group that really has been there for all 10 of those years.”

Everyone’s Gone And I Know I’m The Cause was released on June 21, and the big hometown show will be at The Midland on August 17.

The new Greeting Committee era will provide a wonderful whirlwind summer for new and old fans. Whether you need a song to strut on the treadmill, serenade a paramour, or throw a pity party for yourself on your kitchen floor, this new record will provide the perfect soundtrack for all the big, scary feelings.  Fans can rest assured that The Greeting Committee’s journey will continue, and Kansas City will remain as the pumping heart of the band.

The Greeting Committee live. // Photo by Sophia Ragomo