Travel size reflections: ‘Get-Go’ & the unfamiliar world of just-for-fun music
The story behind the first song on The Travel Size EP—& why it’s still a little uncomfortable for me to listen to
I knew The Travel Size EP would be different. Not in a redefining, new-year-new-me kind of way, but I knew it would take me on a short vacation from the human nature themes that had come to be my artistic trademark.
That’s partly because, if we’re being real, the songs from Travel Size were grouped together mostly because they wouldn’t have fit anywhere else. They all loosely conform to the travel theme—each having been written in/about a different U.S. city—but unlike the songs from Tactics, these new tracks are basically just…for fun.
I’d never done just-for-fun music before. It was weird. In some of the interviews I did when I released the Travel Size singles “Oh, K” & “Medicine Man,” I remember feeling like I had to try really hard to make the songs sound deep & world-changing. I think that’s because they’re not—they’re not deep or world-changing, they’re just vignettes of personal experiences that were fun to write.
I was happy not to be interviewed about “Get-Go.” “Get-Go” is the epitome of what’s different about Travel Size. It’s not even my story, it’s just some imagery I picked up in New York City & threw together over some claps. If I were trying to pass it off as deep, I would say something like, “Well, I just hated how materialistic the city was & had to speak up about it”—but that’s nonsense, because even though that’s what sparked the song, “Get-Go” isn’t trying to persuade anyone of anything. No, “Get-Go” is just for fun.
And that’s alright, even though I don’t want to be remembered for just-for-fun music. I don’t regret my recent project, & I obviously don’t hate pop songs or party anthems, but let’s think of The Travel Size EP as a quick trip rather than a cross-country move. Cool? ❤
