Toronto indie rock band Good Kid is steadily making strides, showcasing their ambition and newfound creative clarity with their candidly vulnerable single "Wall.”
Good Kid’s latest release, "Wall," serves as a precursor to the exciting year ahead.
Inspired by a real-life experience, the song opens with the lines, “I guess I should know that / I’m never going to see you again / at a place that sells vintage clothes.” With their signature clever lyricism and heartfelt expression, the song captures the awkwardness of encountering an ex in a vintage store. The overarching theme of trying to appear nonchalant while dealing with complex emotions was the core inspiration for "Wall." The band's knack for conveying intricate feelings in a lighthearted manner makes Good Kid relatable, nurturing a close-knit community of fans and fellow artists.
Whether through their distinctive animated music videos or the community fostered on Discord, the band generously embraces collaboration and connection within their artistry. David Wood (guitar) reflected, “My favorite moment was going onto Discord one night and seeing people simply hanging out in a voice chat. I thought, ‘You’re not even here for us, you’re just enjoying each other’s company.’ That’s when I realized that our community was about more than just us; people were there because they formed genuine friendships.”
The band is thrilled their music has become the backdrop for many streamers, and they actively include fans in their creative endeavors. They’ve made their entire discography free of Content ID and DMCA restrictions, allowing creators to use their music without the fear of takedowns. The music video for "Wall" featured a collaboration with Xray Alpha Charlie for visual storytelling, inspired by the opening sequences commonly found in anime. As both a fan and a journalist, I find this community-centered approach deeply heartwarming and significant in today's world of fragmented connections.
Atwood Magazine spoke with David Wood and Jacob Tsafatinos of Good Kid shortly after the release of “Wall.”
I found myself laughing often throughout our chat, and their down-to-earth nature quickly closed the distance of the digital interaction. It’s evident why they have fostered such a tight community over the years, and they attribute their artistic independence as a key factor in their journey. From the sonic and visual elements behind "Wall" to their overall trajectory—there are only greater things to come.
— —
:: stream/purchase “Wall” here ::
:: connect with Good Kid here ::
— —
Stream: “Wall” – Good Kid
A CONVERSATION WITH GOOD KID
Atwood Magazine: First off, congrats on the new song! How does it feel now that it’s finally released?
Jacob Tsafatinos: It feels amazing. This song has been a long time in the making. The music video took around four months to create. It truly feels like a culmination of a lot of work over an extended period. The anticipation has been so worth it, especially seeing the fantastic reactions to the music video that Xray Alpha Charlie produced.
David Wood: I was fortunate to step back from the video during the final stages. Xierra would send us updates like, "Here’s what I have so far," and we would watch the video come together. I ended up not watching updates in the last two weeks, so when it was released, I was seeing it for the first time along with everyone else. It was a really special experience.
I’ve never looked at it that way. You don’t often get to hear your music for the first time.
Jacob: We usually stop listening to our music for about a year, and when we return to it for release, we’re often like, “Wow, this is actually pretty great.” I stream a lot, and my mods recently got annoyed with me for listening to copyrighted music on-stream because the reuploads were getting taken down. I asked, “What can I listen to then?” and they said, “You’re basically one of the only DMCA-free bands out there.” So I've started playing our music on stream. I don’t typically revisit our older tracks since I’m always looking for new music, but recently listening to our own songs has reminded me how good they are. It’s really enjoyable to play and vibe to it. I understand now why so many streamers are using our music.
David: We enjoy our music. One initiative I’m particularly proud of that Jake created was a cover song contest for our cassettes. We released a limited series of Walkmans and cassettes featuring our four EPs, including some demos recorded by each band member. We had extra space for other songs, so Jake thought it would be a great idea to allow fans to submit covers of our tracks. We ended up with a shortlist of hundreds to listen to. There’s a whole lot more on Discord that we still revisit. Hearing those covers was the closest feeling to hearing our songs for the first time, and some were fantastic
Bread & Butter is partnering with Kaya Fyah to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her debut release with KAYA FYAH'S HOUSE PARTY. Kaya Fyah
Absolutely stunning.
The Aces brought the enchantment of their disco-infused fourth album to Irving Plaza in NYC, just a few days before launching their new single, "Square One."
Well positioned to stay on track in becoming a genuine cult band.
My Bloody Valentine performed their first live show in seven years last night (November 19th). The shoegaze icons have returned and are set to schedule several live performances.
Earlier today, British music mourned the passing of one of its most vibrant, dynamic, and unstoppable personalities. The death of Mani – whose real name was simply Gary Mounfield – will be
Toronto indie rock band Good Kid is steadily rising, showcasing greater ambition and a clearer creative focus than ever with their candidly vulnerable single "Wall."