MISSIO – Single Review: “Good Vibrations”

Austin, Texas-based duo MISSIO, made up of singer-songwriter and producer Matthew Brue and songwriter/producer and instrumentalist David Butler, have been one of my favorite music acts for the past five years. Not only do I love their great songwriting, edgy, thoroughly original sound that’s an eclectic mash-up of gritty alternative electronic rock, hip hop and dreamy emo vibes, and Matthew’s beautiful emotive vocals, I also have mad respect for them. With an openness and honesty shown to their fans they’ve affectionately dubbed the ‘MISSIO Mafia’ (of which I proudly consider myself a member), they exude a genuine coolness, yet aren’t afraid to share their anxieties and vulnerabilities.

I’ve written about them numerous times on this blog, and in fact, featured their hauntingly beautiful “Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea” exactly one year ago today, as one of my entries of a 30-day song challenge I did last July. Today, I’m thrilled to share their latest single “Good Vibrations“, along with a terrific video that dropped last Friday, June 29th.

MISSIO has consistently produced an exceptional catalog of music, beginning with their brilliant debut album Loner in 2017. They’ve since followed with three more studio albums, The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man in 2019 (my review of that album has garnered over 3,100 views, making it my most-viewed album review ever), Can You Feel The Sun in 2020, and VILLAIN last September (which I also reviewed). In 2020, they also dropped a gorgeous soundtrack album for their film Love Me Whole. Several of their songs have charted on my Weekly Top 30, three of which – “I See You”, “Underground” and “Can You Feel the Sun” – reached #1. This past February, the guys released an EP I Am Sad, featuring six deeply impactful songs touching on anxiety and emotional pain, then followed in early June with their mellow trip hop single “Easy”, which along with “Good Vibrations”, will be included on their forthcoming fifth album.

According to the guys’ discussion of the song on their first episode of #MissioMonday, livestreamed this morning on YouTube, “Good Vibrations” started out as a demo written by Matthew a few years ago. He wasn’t sure what to do with it, and also had misgivings about releasing it, given the fact it shares the same title as the iconic Beach Boys song. But he thought that, given all the bullshit and negativity bombarding us these days, we could use a little more love and positivity. Besides, their drummer Jaydon really loved it, exclaiming “That’s a hit!”, so they decided to record and release it as a single. David also noted that he’d be honored to have their song even mentioned in the same sentence as the Beach Boys’ classic.

One of the many things I love about MISSIO’s music is that no two songs sound alike, and that’s especially true with “Good Vibrations”. The song hits hard, fueled by a powerful synth bass groove and Jaydon’s muscular drumbeats. It’s not a dance song per se, but I defy anyone to sit still when hearing it. My entire body is bopping to the beat as I write this review! To my ears, the song has a few echoes of 80s songs by Depeche Mode and Thompson Twins, but still sounds exciting and fresh. The combination of those heavy, pulsating beats, explosive percussion and colorful spacey synths create a bold, cinematic backdrop for Matthew’s sultry, impassioned vocals as he sings “What you need, What you need is my love. And some good vibrations.”

Jaydon is correct in his assessment of “Good Vibrations”, as MISSIO has another hit on their hands.

For the wonderful music video, they wanted to have a good time, so gathered a few skater friends together and shot the video at a skate park in San Marcos, Texas. The video features Matthew and David, along with skaters Kat Frances, Mason Lapena and Abel Rodriguez, and was directed by Matthew, filmed and produced by Ima Leupp, and edited by Joe Hassage.