Leave it to PUBLIC to end 2020 with a new song that we will for sure be bopping to in 2021.
The Ohio-bred pop-rockers, comprised of singer/guitarist John Vaughn, drummer Ben Lapps and bassist/keyboardist/singer Matthew Carter Alvarado, dropped their new single “Splash” earlier this month and it’s an infectious earworm that’s guaranteed to get you on your feet.
With a funky bassline, smooth vocals, and an insanely catchy melody, “Splash” will be living in your head rent free, just like it was for the band before its release.
“Splash came about from a voice memo back in 2018,” band member Matthew tells Celeb Secrets, with John adding “I immediately liked the [original] riff Matt had, and that’s what the whole song was built on.”
Written over Zoom in the height of the pandemic, the band hopes that “Splash” brings “joy and happiness” and “a smile on people’s faces in a time where [we] don’t really have that going on.”
The track also came with a jam-packed music video, which was directed by Santiago Salviche. Featuring an exhilarating heist and a romantic interest for John, the band tells us that their manager — Papa Jonas — let them borrow some of his son Nick and daughter-in-law Priyanka’s wardrobe for their looks in the visual.
“We wanted to elevate every aspect of this video, and it was super exciting for [us],” John shares. “Our manager, Papa Jonas, hit us up and was like, ‘let me see if i could get Nick and Priyanka to let you borrow some clothes’ and our wardrobe girl was able to swing by their place in LA and grab some stuff. Both performance and acting scenes that [I] do, [I’m wearing] all [Nick’s] coats and stuff.”
“Splash” is the official follow-up to the band’s reimagined take on the classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” this summer’s “Honey in the Summer” global smash “Make You Mine,” which is now RIAA Certified Gold in the US and charted on two different radio formats.
Before the Coronavirus, the band was on tour with American Authors and Magic Giant, a 34-city North American run with packed out shows in venues across the nation, including New York City’s famed Webster Hall.
“[This tour was] the first time that we’ve had crowds that we don’t know personally singing our lyrics back to us because they just heard our song somewhere. I am walking away from it with a sort of renewed sense of gratitude for what we’re doing and excitement” John says, with Matt adding, “This is the first tour that we’ve had support from. Every tour that we’ve done so far has just been like tour and that’s it. This one is the first one where we have a show, go to radio, and then fly out and write songs.”
The guys are still working on new music and will continue to release songs next year.
Watch our full interview with PUBLIC below and let us know what you think of “Splash” by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets. You can also keep up with the band by giving them a follow at @publictheband.
