Chicago’s must-watch band Getting Started first appeared on our radar in 2024 with their adventurous indie-rock single ‘Anywhere’ and since then we’ve been waiting for them to make their next big move. With a string of singles laid out and a new line-up, this outfit has set the stage for the unmissable release of their self-titled debut album. It’s true that good things come to those who wait as this ten-track record has been meticulously sculpted over the past two years, which combines 90s alt-rock grit, ear-wormy melodies and this five-piece’s organic chemistry. From opener ‘Easy Sympathy’ right through to closing track ‘Reverberations’, Getting Started explore wanderlust, emotion, resilience and nostalgia. It’s clear that this project has moved past its name, as this album showcases a band that’s not just starting out, but has a clear vision and all the tools to move forward. For On The Record, we discussed the evolution of Getting Started‘s songwriting, the profound stories behind their lyrics, and what’s next for them.
Welcome to Unrecorded! For those who aren’t already familiar with Getting Started, can you introduce yourselves?
Getting Started is an indie rock band based out of Chicago, IL. There are currently 5 of us – Jack Gallo (Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Matt Stein (Lead Guitar), Pat Hickey (Bass), Jack Scanlon (Drums) & Eddie O’Connor (Keys). The band started back in 2021 when a mutual friend connected Jack G, Pat & Jack S on a text thread to play a fundraiser concert in Chicago. After selling out two nights back to back the venue asked us if we had a band name, which we replied we’re really not sure we’re just…getting started. We’ve been Getting Started ever since and have gone on to play at some historic venues in Chicago and beyond including Bowery Ballroom, Schuba’s, the Hideout, Cubby Bear, Subterranean and Chop Shop. We’ve grown a bit since our first shows adding Matt on lead guitar and Eddie on the keys.
Congratulations on the release of your debut album! What does this release mean to you?
Thank you so much. To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about what this release meant until well I started answering this question. It’s so easy to get focused on the next song, next show or next release that you can forget about reflecting and appreciating.
None of us got into this band with any expectations. At the start, we came together to raise money for a good cause and to get together with our friends after what was a very dark and isolating time during covid. That quickly changed when we realized how much fun we had playing together. We were pretty stoked when people came to our shows and had a good time too. None of us expected to release original music, let alone an entire album. We sure didn’t expect people would be as receptive to our music as they have been. Every step of this project that is Getting Started has been a gift because it’s all been well…unexpected. We really are just 5 guys that have a blast getting together to create music and that is the energy that we want to impress upon our listeners every song and at every show. Releasing a debut album checks a box for us, but I don’t think any of us would have said that box existed 3 years ago and that is what makes this all mean so much to us. We’re genuinely just happy to still be making music and having fun while doing it.
Looking back to your very first single ‘Reverberations’, how do you think your sound and songwriting have evolved since then?
As I mentioned this has been a 3 year long process, releasing music as we completed it until deciding to make this an album. ‘Reverberations’ was our first song ever and we feel like a completely different band now, finally feeling more confident in our sound and our direction. Writing music in a group is like any relationship where at the beginning you really are trying to find common ground and are a bit more accommodating at the start. Reverberations for us is that song where we came together as a group, didn’t try to do too much and found a sonical foundation we all wanted to build on. As we’ve come out with more and more music I think you really start to hear the various individual influences that created that sound – some down the middle Rock, grunge, folk and soul coming together in a way that has allowed us to take those individual influences and make a collective sound. Although Reverberations feels like an eternity ago it still gets a huge response at our shows and we couldn’t ask for a better debut single.
The record opens with ‘Easy Sympathy’, so why did you decide to put emotions at the front of this project?
There is an easy surface level answer to this, which is we’ve released our songs single by single, first by necessity as we were releasing as we recorded for the first half, but then by design. Easy Sympathy has always felt more like an album closer to us, but as we planned the release of the final batch of songs it really started to feel like the right opener on a journey back in time – starting with ‘Easy Sympathy’ where our music is now and closing the album with ‘Reverberations’ when we were just getting started :-).
Considering that these songs are about the highs, the lows and the milestones of life, was there one song that was more challenging to write?
One of the challenges with our writing process can be that we write the songs on an acoustic guitar so typically they are a bit slower and much folkier up front. At least 50% of the songs on this album at one point were songs that we thought would be an acoustic only song. Over the course of the album I became a bit more aware of the need to speed things up or adjust chord structures to accommodate going from a solo acoustic song to one that fits in the full band. Easy Sympathy was one of those songs. My friend Pete and I had been working on a folky acoustic version of that song for a few years and I had tried running through it with the group a few times, but we never really got it off the ground. I was playing it alone at home one night when I had the thought to speed it up, use a heavier strum pattern and try to give it a stadium rock type feel. Bringing that back to the group is when the light bulb went off for us about what that song could become.
‘One Road’ was the most challenging song to write – not musically, but because of how hard it was to find words to describe what was an equally tragic and beautiful circumstance. A friend of mine was closely involved in Jimmy Barber’s Alabama death row case, which you can learn more about in Elizabeth Bruenig’s article in the Atlantic. Jimmy’s story, his path to forgiveness and learning of the circumstances surrounding his final days impacted me profoundly. I helplessly wrote the song on a summer night in July while waiting to hear the news as to whether the courts had decided to put a halt on his execution. It was initially over 8-minutes long so it was quite challenging getting it into the place it is now. Forgiveness is an incredibly powerful tool and Jimmy’s story is an example of something good that came out of an incredible tragic situation – “It takes two to forgive, but one to show how”
You’re all based in Chicago and that’s also where the album was made, so how has the city impacted your music?
Chicago has played a big role in shaping our influences both musical and not. The music scene here is amazing, so many great bands where we pull inspiration from. It also helps that there isn’t much else to do during the winter!
Chicago has been home for all of us for almost our entire lives. It gave us easy access to see so many great artists at some of the best venues in music. What has impacted our music most is how tight-knit and supportive those in the music and arts community are here. There is a genuine desire to lift up others and support indie artists rather than stepping on each other to be successful. We’ve benefited greatly from that Chicago music community and it speaks more broadly to the type of city that Chicago is. It’s a place where people recognize there is plenty of space in the music hall for all.
Musically, your sound touches on indie through to classic rock influences, so who are some of the most influential bands and artists to you?
One of the things that I think makes our band unique is that we all have unique music tastes and we’ve found a circle on the venn diagram where those tastes meet. A few of the bands that we all are drawn to are Wilco, Mt. Joy & The Strokes.
What was your songwriting process for the record? Did one of you take the lead or was it a more collective effort?
Most of the music on the album started on my acoustic guitar and then made its way to the band over voice memos or in practice. Like I mentioned earlier, one of the biggest learning curves as we went through the album was understanding how to take the music that was written for a band of one and make it fit in with the broader group. Some of the songs, like ‘Anywhere’ and ‘Reverberations’ took us collectively about an hour to write. Others were tunes that we tried, put away and came back to multiple times. Writing songs is a lot like sculpting. It’s been cool to see how we’ve all settled into our respective roles in that sculpting process. I may make the clay and general shape, but it’s the rest of the band that comes in to mold and refine that clay into the music that you ultimately listen to.
What do you hope that listeners will take away from the album?
We have a lot of fun hanging out and making music. There is a fair amount of our practice time where we will just be shooting the shit. None of us take ourselves too seriously and we are all here to have a good time. We want listeners to connect with our music in that same way and experience the same joy we do every time we get together in the studio.
Following the release of the album, what will be next on the horizon for you?
We have a lot of new material written and in the process of recording. What format that will come out in is TBD, be it an EP or full album. We really feel that this is just the beginning and we are still in the process of honing in on our sound. 2026 is all about keeping the momentum going, hitting some new cities and releasing new music.
You can listen to album track ‘Easy Sympathy’ in our Indie Rockers playlist.
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