Goo - ‘You’re In Mono’ Review: Clever, provocative and inventive, the fuse has been lit for an explosion
Both You’re In Mono and Maladroit are clever, provocative and inventive. Blending fun lyricism with crowd-pleasing melodies, we’re dying to hear these live. We wanted to pick a favourite but they’re both unquestionably on par, and worthy of your playlist.
★★★★★★★★☆☆
Credit: Goo 📸
On 10th May 2024, Goo released You’re In Mono, accompanied by B-side Maladroit. The track is the latest to join a growing collection and coincides with an impressive nine-date European tour.
Goo is an indie rock band from Keighley, West Yorkshire, UK. Starting as a coping mechanism during COVID-19 back in 2020, the four-piece came together from Tanisha (vocals), Sam (guitar/vocals), Bryn (bass/vocals) and Kurt (drums/vocals).
Their distinctive sound bounces from shoegaze, pop and grungy riffs. You’re In Mono is a rebellious, punk-fuelled garage track which takes large inspiration from the ‘90s/’00s, delivering massive hooks with anthemic choruses. Picture a perfect duo between The Sex Pistols and The Vaccines.
Lyrically, the track was written as a reaction to the rising popularity of right-wing politics in the UK, and more so when friends or family begin to lean into these ideologies. We’re big fans of tracks that tackle controversial societal challenges in fun and inventive ways, and Goo has certainly got a knack for it.
It’s funny but provocative. Timeless but fresh. It’s the kind of song you belt out at the top of your lungs and then feel shock when realising what you’re crying out. A Pumped Up Kicks or Rape Me, the latter being less of a shock. We’ve all been there; politics becoming the forefront of a relationship. Can you look past their view of the world?
Using call and responsive lyricism and tongue-in-cheek verses, You’re In Mono can be translated into live settings immediately.
Goo also aim at the echo chambers of social media (‘A one-on-one lecture, a one-seat theatre’) and the use of ‘mono’ as the centre-piece (which means one sound) is an equally clever touch which only exacerbates the world we live in right now.
B-side, Maladroit, is a little more laid back. Written about ‘how clumsy Tanisha is on a daily basis’, it’s a deep cut with a Buzzcocks-inspired tempo. As a supporting single, it’s incredibly strong. Who would’ve thought a tune about ‘tripping over’ could be so frenetic and full of beaming rock and roll?
Knowing Goo, there’s an underlying deeper message at play that we can dig out the more we listen, likely the mundane reality of life. The free spirit and chaotic pace stuck out as mosh-pit central for live shows, and we were in awe.
:: Q&A ::
1) Where did the track come from, has it been in the works for a while?
‘You’re In Mono came about at the tail end of a batch of songs we wrote after recording our debut EP ‘Chomp’. The four of us went to see Osees last July at the Brudenell Social Club and they were incredible. We all came away feeling inspired and we ended up writing a few punky songs as a result. We had the music for a while, but it wasn’t until we were booked to record a couple of singles with Andy Hawkins at Nave Studios that we knuckled down and finished it. It felt fresh and new, so we bumped another song out of the way and recorded it instead.’
2) You have pressed the track onto vinyl, where did this idea come from and why was it important you released this track physically too?
‘The four of us love vinyl. We all enjoy taking the time to sit down (or stand up) to listen to it, we love big artwork, actually owning the thing; the classical reasons that nerds love vinyl! This is our second physical record and we’re still getting a kick out of hearing our music on a proper record.’
3) Following this, you've got a b-side, which is becoming more uncommon in the streaming world. Did you feel it was important to accompany this track?
‘We were conscious that by the time the single was released, we wouldn’t have released any new music in almost a year, so we’re eager to release as much as we can. We’re always writing and we have a lot of songs that are waiting to be recorded. We have a pretty good idea of which songs might go on an album in the future, so we thought instead of recording and releasing them prematurely, we would try to just write a song specifically for a B-side. We dug through a lot of voice notes and found the chords for Maladroit from the first year we existed as a band. It seemed to fit alongside You’re In Mono so we went into the studio and recorded it pretty quickly. It was a fun experiment.’
4) The main track sounds deep-rooted in early 00's indie rock, what music/bands would you say influenced this tune the most?
‘We’re all lovers of 90’s and early 00’s indie rock; that’s our common thread. Whatever we write, whether it’s shoegazey, heavy, or punky like these two tracks; the indie vibe always seems to be there. Osees were definitely an inspiration for the A-side track, but earlier punk bands like Buzzcocks were more of an inspiration for the B-side.’
5) We can see you sounding huge live, do you have any dream venues you'd love to play?
‘The Roundhouse in Camden is definitely up there as a dream venue. We saw Pavement there last year and the vibe and sound were incredible. Before Bryn joined the band; the three of us went to Primavera in Barcelona in 2022. We ended up taking influence from a lot of different bands from that experience, so playing there is probably top of the bucket list. Also, we all grew up going to Leeds Festival, so an offer from them would be pretty special.’
:: Round-Up ::
Both You’re In Mono and Maladroit are clever, provocative and inventive. Blending fun lyricism with crowd-pleasing melodies, we’re dying to hear these live. There’s an ambition creeping through as to what they could be capable of next. We wanted to pick a favourite but they’re both unquestionably on par, and worthy of your playlist.
Don’t be surprised when you find yourself falling in love with Goo’s style. We already have, and we’ll shout it from the rooftops.
Catch the band on tour on the following dates around the EU:
10.05.24 - Studio Five Live, Keighley, UK
18.05.24 - The Other Side, Peer, Belgium
19.05.24 - Alkmaar Bierhuis, Alkmaar, Netherlands
21.05.24 - Supersonic, Paris, France
22.05.24 - Urgence Disk Records, Geneva, Switzerland
23.05.24 - Le Brin De Zinc, Barberaz, France
24.05.24 - The Secret Place, Montpellier, France
25.05.24 - Burdigala Fest, Union Saint Bruno, Bordeaux, France
26.05.24 - Say Cheese Festival, Tours, France
To celebrate the release, Goo has been selling coloured 7” variants of the single on vinyl. You may still be able to pick one up here.
Now, it’s your turn. Give it a spin, and tell us what you think on Insta or X.
Rating: 8/10
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