Artificial Go discuss catharsis, chemistry and the accidental audience that helped bring "Jane Ate The Apple Seed" to life.

Cincinnati quartet Artificial Go have quickly built a reputation for turning off-kilter ideas into irresistibly playful songs. Their latest 7" pairs the sharp-edged frustration of ‘Triple Ones’ with the dreamlike wanderings of ‘Jane Ate The Apple Seed’, showcasing a band that thrives on spontaneity, friendship and following wherever a song wants to go. Ahead of their upcoming album, we caught up with Artificial Go to discuss groove, basement jams, haunted attics, Cincinnati's underground scene and why sometimes the best songwriting sessions happen in front of your landlord.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

We are Cole G. Patrick, Angie Willcutt, Micah Wu and Ryan Sennett from Cincinnati, Ohio.

‘Triple Ones’ feels immediately danceable, but lyrically there’s a lot of frustration underneath it. How did that balance between joy and anger come together?

Triple Ones was an opportunity to be clear and direct with my frustration in a way that felt liberating. Being able to clearly express when I am unsatisfied and to ask for the intentions behind harmful actions brings freedom, which then rings in joy. I can’t smile when I bite my tongue! - Angie Willcutt

Your sound feels playful and unpredictable while still being incredibly tight. How would you describe the chemistry between the four of you as a band?

Micah and I have been dating for over 5 years, and have been playing music together throughout our relationship. Cole and Ryan have been friends playing music with each other in various bands for over 5 years as well. We’ve all been buddies for years now. When the 4 of us united, there was some sort of chemistry explosion! - Angie Willcutt

Angie described ‘Triple Ones’ as “the most blatantly upset Artificial Go song.” Was it cathartic turning those feelings into something so energetic?

Absolutely! I never started music to be a musician - I started playing music as a teenager to heal my heart aches in life. Making music is the medicine my soul shall be prescribed for eternity! I want to transform my feelings into joy, dance and let it all roll off my tongue. - Angie Willcutt

The rhythm section on “Triple Ones” is impossible to ignore. How important is groove and movement when you’re writing songs?

We put our grooving shoes on. - Cole G. Patrick

Groove feels good. Music without movement is silence. Which is cool too. - Micah Wu

‘Jane Ate The Apple Seed’ has a much stranger, almost trance-like atmosphere. What inspired the mood and imagery behind that track?

Jane was birthed out of a jam on the fly during practice one day. Ryan was on the drums and I was playing guitar. Micah on bass, Angie on vocals. We were just having fun. The “atmosphere” came when we recorded and experimented with Angie’s Psaltery and echoed feedback stuff. We were getting carried away with overdubs which was fun. - Cole

The story of “Jane Ate The Apple Seed” was a poem I wrote for a solo set last winter. I originally performed it singing a different vocal melody with a wooden xylophone. The instrumentation was playful, but the story always translated a bit “moodier” with the lyrical meaning. When Artificial Go was jamming in the basement, the instrumentation felt complementary to my poem in a new way, so I threw the lyrics in. Micah came to see my solo show and recorded it onto tape, so perhaps one day I’ll share the solo version of “Jane Ate The Apple Seed”. I’m really happy how those words relived and contorted into what Artificial Go transformed it into. It was my first time playing the Psaltery as well. “Jane Ate The Apple Seed” at the heart, for me, is a folk poem that can be translated into whatever instrumentation the heart desires. Moody or playful, minimal or grand, Jane has a story to be told to the world.

It started as more of a dancy track from what I remember, and then when we added the whole intro bit and all the overdubs and Angie’s autoharp it turned into something much more complex and moody. - Ryan

I love the idea of your landlord witnessing ‘Jane Ate The Apple Seed’ come together mid maintenance visit. Do moments like that capture the spirit of how this band operates?

We’d operate a lot better if we didn’t have to pay him every month. - Micah

Absolutely, we live in a band house! He came to fix Cole’s shower while we were jamming in the basement, and when the shower wouldn’t fix, he invited two of his friends over to help. Before we knew it we had a little audience watching us write Jane Ate The Appleseed. We didn’t stop the music and just kept going like any other practice. It made it a great time, and the music made them all want beer. After a while, one of his friends was teasing so I handed him the microphone and said you sing! " We finished it off with everybody jamming to “Rumble” by Link Wray. Going with the flow always creates great memories. - Angie

You all swap instruments on recordings depending on what the song needs. How does that freedom shape the writing and recording process?

Makes it more spherical - Micah

The haunted attic recording setup feels very Artificial Go somehow. Does the environment you live and create in directly influence the music?

Definitely. The attic is blazing hot in the summer almost to the point of being unbearable to work in. In that regard it directly influences when and how long we can record some days. - Cole

Cincinnati’s underground scene seems to have a real sense of community at the moment. How has being part of that environment shaped the band?

There are great artists all over the city. Energy is contagious and there’s always inspiration to be had in Cincinnati - Angie

You’ve released two albums in a short space of time and toured heavily in between. Has the pace of everything changed the way you approach making music together?

Yeah, we’ve had less time to write. Some of the new stuff we’re working on emerged from band practices prior to tours we’ve done in the past. Before we started touring we were just writing and recording for fun. I kind of miss it. We’re busier now with playing gigs. - Cole

I think the approach is generally the same as it has been for a while, although things have changed in the future. Cole was sitting on a good batch of demos for many of the songs on the first release that we recorded at Lambda. During the recording of musical chairs he moved himself and the studio into the unit above where Angie and I live which made us more flexible to record at a moment's notice. Over the course of the band we’ve struggled to recruit a live guitarist for shows, but now that we’ve settled more as a group, Ryan has been writing on some of the new stuff too. - Micah

Touring as heavily as we have this past year combined with working full time has definitely restricted the amount of time we all have to commit to just sitting and writing music together, but every time we do get together and write or jam on ideas something really beautiful comes together and it always feels very natural and easy. - Ryan

This new 7” feels like it’s hinting at a bigger next chapter for the band. What can listeners expect from the upcoming album?

Expect some music, songs, rhythms and grooves - Angie

Good drums, good bass, good vocals and good guitar, as well as other things good - Ryan

What do you love right now?

If I am lucky…seeing a Dalmatian on the street! - Angie

The 18 minute demo of All Tomorrows Parties by the Velvet Underground. Chihuahuas. Wildflowers. Baguettes. Family. Spring grove cemetery. - Cole

The ride - Micah

spending time with loved ones both human and non-human, long showers, playing music, cooking in the kitchen, enjoying a pint of Guinness and a joint. - Ryan

What do you hate right now?

Being rushed - Micah Wu

AI - I hate the destructive data centers that are killing sacred land, taking away jobs, the computer generated nonsense comprised of stolen art / music from people, the loss of real life social connection and the attempted erasure of human cognitive thinking. - Angie Willcutt

At the exact moment I’m answering this question, getting restless legs on airplanes - Ryan

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

“Revolution Girl Style Now” by Bikini Kill was the first CD I ever bought myself. My parents didn’t like it, which made it feel even more punk rock. I played it on repeat on my Hello Kitty CD player. Hearing women in music unleashing truth and anger was quite liberating as a young girl. The spirit of discovering Riot Grrrl music lives with me throughout time. - Angie

monomania by deerhunter is one I came back to recently from my high school days of discovering indie rock. Seems it’s been 10 or so years now since I saw them live in my home town and their recordings still hold up. Particularly the opening track Neon Junkyard. Love the production on this album a lot. - Cole

What’s going on by Marvin Gaye. I bought an Amy Winehouse record that had a huge gash in it, so I exchanged it for What’s Going On. Everything happens for a reason. This masterpiece of an album never gets old and is always a good reminder of where I should set my sights. - Micah

I still hold my starter-kit-punk albums quite dearly to my heart; unknown pleasures, closer, London calling, raw power, fire of love, bad brains and the like. Definitely went through a period of time following high school where I felt too cool to admit how much those albums meant to me but am happy to have come back around and fully embraced my roots. Naming just one album stresses me out. - Ryan

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?

To not give a damn! Say what you want and play what you want, who cares! - Angie

The desire and confidence to pick up an instrument or start a band. - Cole

Start Listening To: Artificial Go