Feature: The Greeting Committee
Words by April Bredael
Hailing from Kansas City and bringing a unique twist to the alt-rock music scene, The Greeting Committee returns with latest single “Can I Leave Me Too?” featuring an intimate glimpse into the difficulties and struggles throughout a breakup. This is the first release from the band following their work and feature with Netflix’s “To All The Boys: Always and Forever,” in which the band not only had three original tracks but a performance and feature in the movie.
Composed of band members Addie Sartino (vocals), Brandon Yangmi (guitar), Pierce Turcotte (bass), and Austin Fraser (drums), the band has been releasing original music since their debut EP “It’s Not All That Bad” that premiered in 2015. The band continues to carry their unique style and lyrical talent throughout their work while finetuning their skillsets throughout the years.
The new single (like the entirety of The Greeting Committee’s discography) is extremely emotional, cathartic, and allows listeners to see glimpses of frontwoman Addie Sartino’s mind. This track in particular revolves around a world-shattering breakup occurring not too long prior. We were able to meet virtually with Addie and hear all of the inside scoop on “Can I Leave Me Too?” Similar to most, she shared that going through a breakup is tough. However unlike most, Addie puts her thoughts and feelings into words, and from the pain emerges an art capturing the quintessential heartbreak.
With lyrics like, “Why does everybody drive the same car you do? / I’m scared of myself without you,” Addie pulls influences from her past and her own life. The singer shares that:
“My girlfriend at the time drove a Nissan Rogue, and after we broke up I felt like I couldn’t go anywhere without seeing that car. I remember thinking, ‘There’s no way there are this many Nissan Rogues in Kansas City,’ but I think that’s a pretty universal thing to have happen when you’re going through a breakup.” -Addie Santino of The Greeting Committee
Along with the new track comes a stunning music video, encapsulating the emotions and feelings exploding from the lyrics. In the video with the track coming to life visually, The Greeting Committee has managed to outdo themselves once again. The video opens with Addie visibly distraught and restless in her bed; later on the camera pans to her moving about her day in a timeless-esque sequence. It well encapsulates the trancelike empty feelings that often come with the end of a breakup.
Visually exploring the lyrics, “Lost in waiting / Can’t eat. I just sleep / Days on days end,” the video brings Addie’s words to life in a relatable, sorrowful, and timeless tune. The video takes a deeper look into the often overlooked and mundane parts of life seeming endless, and every day feeling identical. Addie quickly goes from living life to the fullest to being a side character in her own motion picture. The video acknowledges how mental and emotional distraught can turn physical, and how it’s okay to not be okay.
With this being The Greeting Committee’s first single since their movie debut, they are gearing up to return with even more music soon. Addie shares that the remaining months of 2021 have a slough of things in store.
For more on The Greeting Committee, check out their website here.
