Get Wrong is a sizzling new synthpop sensation composed of Naomi Griffin and Adam Todd. The duo is based in England and Scotland and its name refers to a North-East saying for getting into trouble. Get Wrong's five-song Roland Juno-infused EP was released in December 2023 and totally can't help itself in providing listeners a purple pop romp. And yes, for this I am grateful... it's been a dreary northern European winter so far.
"Something To Tell You" was included in episode 13 of _____ mood. and well, by now you know the drill... I asked them about the song, plus some other stuff, like sandwiches.
What's that? You don't like purple pop romps or sandwiches? Who even are you and how did you get here? Will bagels change your mind?
I really love the EP! Is there a story behind your song "Something To Tell You?"
This is a song we worked on together from the very start and it means kinda different things to both of us. We both liked the idea of a song about someone needing to tell a loved one something important that will likely have a big impact on their relationship, but we wanted to keep it relatively vague and non-specific so it’s for interpretation. Say, you’re moving to a new town for a dream job, or you’ve fallen in love or whatever. That tension between between being really excited about something but also aware that it will impact your personal relationships in a way that will likely cause some difficulty. It’s like ripping off a plaster. You know you need to do it and it’s going to make things better in the long run, but it’s still painful.
From your song "It's So Easy", which opens your EP, "Happiness is a warm sandwich in the back of a Toyota Corolla" has got to be the best opening line I've heard in a long time! What's the story about this tune? What type of warm sandwich makes you happiest?
This is another song that was kicking about for a while before we managed to dive into the lyrics. Both of us find lyric writing to be the most challenging part of the songwriting process. I (Adam) wrote the lyrics to this one. I’m pretty sure it started with just that line. I thought it was kind of funny, but it also made me think of lots of bad service station lunches I’ve eaten in cars and vans and how those are really some of my happiest memories. It’s a song about friendship really, and the joy of doing banal things with the people you love. How refreshing it is to be truly comfortable in the presence of your closest friends. In my head, the sandwich in the song is not an impressive one at all, and definitely not one intended to be served warm. Something like a hummus and veg sandwich from Spar on white bread. It’s been sitting in a bag for a bit too long. Right next to where the hot air blows out in the car. There’s a bit of condensation on the inside of the packet.
In terms of a warm sandwich that would make me happy whatever the situation, I think it would have to include tofu or tempeh. Well marinated. And some vegan cheese. All melty and gooey. Some pickles maybe? Am I thinking of a bagel? I think I’m thinking of a bagel. Do bagels count as sandwiches?
Bagels count as sandwiches. Yes, they do.
You released a five-song EP in December - how would you characterise it? Who are your influences? Is the EP available on CD or vinyl?
It’s synthpop. I think we can confidently say that. We’re both used to playing in 4-piece guitar bands and kind of wanted to challenge ourselves by trying to write in a different genre with different instrumentation.
Carly Rae Jepsen was a big influence for this project. Especially her Emotion record. We’re huge fans. We wanted to really go for that pop sound. Robyn too. Another shared love and writer of so many bangers. There were a lot of early synthpop influences too. Early Depeche Mode, OMD, New Order, Madonna, Prince, YMO.
We recorded the EP with Peter Brewis of Field Music. He’s a big fan of a lot of these artists too, so he knew exactly what we were getting at. We ended up recording 90% of the synth lines on this lovely Roland Juno he’s got. We did intend to use some other synths too, but we just kept coming back to it. It’s such a beautiful sounding instrument.
Yes, the EP is available on CD! You can buy it from Alcopop Records (UK, EU) or Father/Daughter Records (USA/Rest of World). Or you can come to one of our gigs and get it from us there!
What else can we expect from Get Wrong in 2024?
We’ve got a few gigs lined up. Sheffield, Brighton, Leicester, Bristol and no doubt a bunch more on top of that. We’ll keep working on new tunes too, so hopefully it won't be too long until you hear some new stuff from us!
If you're not already familiar, check out Adam and Naomi's other bands The Spook School and Martha.