The Greeting Committee is back with another brilliant soundtrack. Following the release of their single, “Can I Leave Me Too” earlier this year, the indie rock band dropped their sophomore album, Dandelion. Consisting of Addie Sartino (front woman), Brandon Yangmi (guitarist), Pierce Turcotte (bassist), and Austin Fraser (drummer), The Greeting Committee is taking over the 2021 music scene by storm. Addie, Brandon, and Pierce recently sat down to discuss the release of Dandelion and their inspiration behind the album!

When speaking on the songwriting process for Dandelion, Addie consistently emphasized her vulnerability throughout the entirety of the process. Comparing lyric writing to the making of a quilt with a ton of different layers, Addie jokes, “I’m very attention seeking. It’s very easy to talk about myself; I’m a Leo rising so...” When looking at the musical side of songwriting, the band often collaborates on different aspects,”Us on the instrumental side, it's a very different place to be when it comes to being vulnerable,” guitarist Brandon Yangmi elaborates, “I personally think I wear my emotions on my sleeve, so when I’m creating music I try to be as honest as possible, but as an instrumentalist you can hide behind sounds.” 

“I write without fully knowing what I’m saying. It’s this cathartic experience that helps me discover what I’m feeling,” Addie elaborates, “I feel like I’m watching my life a lot more than living it.”

 The 10-song album highlights the alt-pop sound and vibrancy the band creates throughout each track. Within the song “Ada,” the band looked to the LGBTQ+ communities, as Pierce explains, “highlighting them as people and their story.” The song introduces really amazing harmonies, instrumental creativity, and a heartening story. With slower songs -”Wrapped Inside Of Your Arms” and “Ten”- the album highlights their diversity in creating songs. Looking at Track 2, “Float Away,” the emotional lyrics contrast the upbeat vibrancy of the song. “It let me into a piece of myself that I wasn’t fully aware of,” Addie discusses the lyrical process, “A lot of my identity went away when the pandemic happened.” 

“When we were making this album we wanted to challenge ourselves, but not sort of alienate any of the past listeners.”

-Addie Sartino

The Greeting Committee has always had an amazing connection with fans and followers that feels natural and authentic. When discussing their relationship with fans, Addie describes the importance of being able to connect with their listeners. “I think the whole mysterious rockstar thing is dead and overplayed and not very cool,” Addie explained. In talking about upcoming shows and being able to play Dandelion in a live setting, Brandon says, “It's always interesting to see the songs have more lives to them afterwards.” The band is excited to be able to perform for their fans again, Addie explains, “getting to connect with everyone will be wonderful.” Pierce follows up with a reference to the past 18-months of Covid-19 and lockdowns saying, “The last year and a half feels like you’re screaming into an abyss.” 

“Every song is completely different about who's really leading the song,” Brandon explains, “it can get pretty messy in a good way from there.”

Addie describes the inspiration behind the album title and artwork. With naming the album after one of the tracks, The Greeting Committee discussed their hesitation on doing so, but ultimately went with the title from Track 3, “Dandelion”. “To me, that was like me trying to see myself more as something that is beautiful than something that’s broken,” Addie interprets the meaning behind the song, “I think that’s a lot about what this album is tackling.”

“Grief is not linear, it goes all around.” -Addie Sartino

Along with their release of Dandelion, The Greeting Committee also dropped a music video for “Make Out.” The video mainly features Brandon being pushed around and thrown over tables, with inspiration behind the video coming from his girlfriend. The “Make Out” music video includes a ton of moving parts, with a really wild and upbeat vibe. In talking about the song in general, Addie says, “The song that makes me feel the most vulnerable and the most excited.” 

The Greeting Committee is nothing short of creative and ingenious. Dandelion captures the inventive and clever songwriting skills, as well as showing the warm and dazzling personalities of the band. 

Listen to Dandelion from The Greeting Committee, available on all streaming platforms now!