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The latest act on Cincinnati's post-punk scene is Artificial Go, who through good humor and loopy riffs add a healthy dose of playfulness to the frequently dour genre. Comprised of members of ROD, Corker, and The Drin, the band's sound is cut from the same wiry cloth of tuneful Dadaist giants like Delta 5, Shop Assistants, and Bona Dish. Their upcoming debut album Hopscotch Fever will arrive September 6th from Feel It Records and Future Shock. Bandleader Angie Wilcutt was able to cue us in on the stories behind the album's songs ahead of its release.
What have you been up to lately? What have you been listening to, reading, or spending a lot of time doing?
Angie Wilcutt: We have been writing new music together, preparing for our upcoming live shows, and going out to local shows too. We recently went to a show and then went to Cole's apartment to play hide and seek in the dark while he put on a record. It was nice to feel like a kid again. The other night, I cut Claudio's hair and braided everyone's hair on the back porch after eating dinner together. We've been trying to enjoy the summer.
How would you like to introduce our readers to your band?
Artificial Go started off as a recording project between Cole Gilfilen, Micah Wu, and myself. When we finished recording our album, Hopscotch Fever, we were itching to play it live. We needed another member to play live guitar, so we reached out to our friend, Claudio Thornburgh. He learned all the songs quickly, and it's been a treat to begin writing new music with him for the next album.
What led you to start making music and how did that end up with where you are today?
Micah and I lived in Lexington, Kentucky for our whole lives, and one day in 2022, Cole came to the local bar to play a show. Although we missed his C.D.E set, I went up to Cole to take a film portrait—he had just bought a leather collar from the booth that I bought leather from too. The film portrait sparked conversation, and then friendship began. Soon after, Micah and I started coming up to Cincinnati on the weekends to see Cole and catch shows. Eventually, we made the move to Cincinnati. Cole and I hung out and wrote "On Off" together one winter day, and then Artificial Go was born.
Can you tell me a little bit about how the new single "Pay Phone" came to be?
"Pay Phone" was a song written by Micah and I back in 2023 in Lexington. It was originally going to be used for our two-piece electronic band, ROD, but we decided to save the song for if we had a live drummer in another band one day. Drum machine couldn't do it justice. When Cole laid down the drum track, it was instant magic!
What was it like making its music video? Did you make those giant roller skates yourselves?
We wanted to shoot our music video at Putz's Creamy Whip and arrived at the ice cream shop at 10:00 a.m. We ordered some food and asked if it would be okay to shoot for a music video. They said it was alright, so we quickly set up the drum kit, tripod, and amp. There were some strangers watching, but it all went smoothly! Claudio worked until 5:00 a.m. the night before, so he couldn't make it until the afternoon. He normally plays guitar live for us, but played bass while recording the music video in Micah and I's apartment. Recording the music video was very "Go Fast" energy, as we made it all in mostly one day. It was fun to bring the drum kit into the woods. I constructed the shoes with cardboard and papier-mâché. Micah helped stuff foam from our mattress into the shoes to help support the roller skates. I also made the "Go Fast" dress that was worn in the music video, and wanted to make the shoes to complete the outfit!
Let's get into some other album tracks on the album. "Reality Does" has this great peppiness about it, how did this one come to be?
Cole wrote the instrumentation of the song and then showed it to Micah and I. I had recently been walking around my neighborhood and came across a child's chalk Hopscotch game. The song made me think of all that hopscotch.
Songs such as "Walk like a Dog" and "On Off" show off your softer side, but with the same level of energy and wit, similar to bands we love like Delta 5 and Shop Assistants. What's your approach to these?
"On Off" was the first song that Cole and I wrote together, in his apartment. It felt like an initiation of a new friendship while creating music together. When we showed Micah, things really started coming together. Micah and I wrote "Walk Like a Dog" together at home one day, and showed it to Cole, and he laid down the drums to it. Both of those songs were written in one one-on-one settings at home, providing an intimate approach.
Regarding the self-titled track, what came first: the song or the band?
"Artificial Go" was written and titled as a song before it was chosen as our band name. The words, Artificial Go, felt fitting for the messages within this song, and the album as a whole.
You close the album with our personal favorite "Bird to Woman," which is sonically heavy and narratively rich. What was it putting this one together?
Cole wrote the instrumentation for "Bird to Woman." When recording, Micah laid down bass at the same time as Cole drumming. Cole repeated a saying from John Hoffman: "Drumming to a click track is like driving in front of a cop car." It went smoother live! Recording each layer to that song felt very special. Micah sang background harmonies, and Cole added the magic touch of the shaker. I wrote the lyrics based off of a dream. I felt a heavy energy from the song before writing words. The music spoke loud. "Bird to Woman" references a woman who was watching me in my dream, mirroring the deep universal aches that life on Earth, as a woman, brings. When I sang it, I felt her.
You're just one of the many great Cincinnati punk bands on the scene right now. What is it about your city that produces so much good music?
It's hard to see the stars at night due to the pollution in Cincinnati, but when you play music at night, the lights on the amps and mixer light up like a galaxy!
You’ve got a couple of shows coming up to support the album soon, what's it like to play this material live? What sort of energy do you bring to your shows?
It feels exciting to play songs off of Hopscotch Fever. We've been writing new ones with Claudio that we've been incorporating into practice as well. We want to keep the energy fresh, and let loose. Playing music together has felt like playing hopscotch on a sunny day.
What's next for Artificial Go and your other band ROD? Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?
We're working on another album, and look forward to exploring the sounds of Artificial Go. Regarding Rod, we are releasing a six-song EP, Concrete Jungle, before our upcoming September tour. We'll be doing a DIY release—dub some tapes at home, and put it out to the digital world on August 30th! Music is love!
Hopscotch Fever is out September 6th on Feel It Records and Future Shock.