– Lindsay Gould, Music Coordinator
What if a message from outer space arrived on Earth after 100,000 years and the only thing the aliens wanted to tell us was to “get down”? That’s the strange premise behind “Get Down,” the newest single from Brooklyn alternative rock icons They Might Be Giants.
A Message From Space
“Get Down” is the ninth song from They Might Be Giants’ 24th studio album, The World Is To Dig, which was released in April and features 18 songs. And if you know They Might Be Giants, you probably already know that a song about an ancient message from aliens is pretty much right in their wheelhouse.
The song tells the story of humanity discovering a mysterious broadcast and once the message is finally decoded, the alien voice delivers a very simple command: “Get down.”
But this isn’t just a dance instruction.
The broadcast essentially tells humanity to forget everything we know and start over. It’s an alien invasion story, except instead of spaceships and lasers, we get a funky, psychedelic groove.
Get Funky
Musically, “Get Down” is a song that sounds just as playful as its story. The horns immediately give the song a disco, almost jazzy feel, making the entire song feel like a bizarre dance party happening in the middle of an alien apocalypse.
Conceptually, “Get Down” is a perfect introduction for new fans of They Might Be Giants. It shows they can take an absolutely ridiculous idea and turn it into a song that you genuinely want to listen to over and over again.
Seeing “Get Down”
The music video takes that same strange, playful energy and turns it into a colorful visual experience. Directed by graphic designer Paul Sahre, the video uses pop-art visuals, and bold illustrations to bring the story to life.
Sahre has a long history of working in graphic design, with his work appearing in publications including The New York Times and The Atlantic. He has also worked with They Might Be Giants before, helping create the band’s Grammy-nominated packaging for one of their special-edition releases.
Getting to Know They Might Be Giants
At the end of the day, “Get Down” is just a really fun song.
It’s funky, it’s weird, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I went into “Get Down” not knowing much about They Might Be Giants, but I came away wanting to hear more. After 24 studio albums, there’s clearly a lot of They Might Be Giants for me to catch up on. If the rest of The World Is To Dig is anything like “Get Down,” I think I have a pretty interesting listening project ahead of me.
So if you’re looking for something outside the ordinary, let the aliens take over for a few minutes, and whatever you do, make sure you get down.
