Music Bugle Exclusive – Q & A – Matty Lupinacci Of Gone Stereo

By Nicholas Jason Lopez

Fresh from the shadows of previous pop-punk purveyors like Brand New, Taking Back Sunday and The Movielife, the most magical place in the world is once again the home of your soon-to-be favorite band, Gone Stereo.

The Long Island, N.Y.-based quintet recently dropped their new single “I’m So Sick” via Negative Progression Records, recorded by John Naclerio (Knuckle Puck, Real Friends, Bayside) and mixed by Chris Badami (The Starting Line, The Early November).

With a groovy sound that calls back to angsty, hook-laden 2000’s punk like MxPx, Never Heard Of It, Allister, New Found Glory, The Ataris, Sum 41 and Blink-182, “I’m So Sick” has been described by singer Matty Lupinacci as being about resentment and disappointment while stuck in a never-ending cycle.

“I’m So Sick” was featured on SiriusXM’s ‘Faction Punk’ playlist and also features original artwork painted by punk rock legend Mark DeSalvo (NOFX, Lagwagon), while the music video will soon premiere on YouTube’s BlankTV (750,000 subscribers).

The Music Bugle had the chance to chat with Lupinacci about the creative mindset for “I’m So Sick,” what he wishes happened less in today’s music industry and much more, which you can check out below.

Music Bugle – How would you describe Long Island to someone who has never been there before? 

Matty Lupinacci – First, I would say Long Island has got some of the best pizza and bagels ever, period. Second, I would say we’ve got some fabulous breweries and of course, an entire section of wineries towards the eastern end. Lastly, I would say the traffic is horrendous! I grew up on Long Island and I remember rush hour being from like certain times, like 7 A.M. to 9 A.M. or 5 P.M.. Now, forget about it, traffic all day! Apart from that, it’s a wonderful place to visit. 

Music Bugle – How did you decide on the band name? 

Matty Lupinacci – Band names are hard and almost every name you could think of is already taken. I remember when we were thinking of names, I typed the words, “Band name, gone” in Google and weirdly enough, I saw something pop up that said “Gone Stereo.” Sounded cool, checked and no one had it, the rest of the guys liked it and there you have it. 

Music Bugle – What was the creative mindset behind your latest single “I’m So Sick”? 

Matty Lupinacci – When I was writing the lyrics for “I’m So Sick,” I had a lot on my mind. I was dealing with a falling out with very close friends, I was frustrated, disappointed and felt stuck in this perpetual circle. I was so sick of my thoughts and would sit there and wonder, “When will all of this just go away?” I recall showing everyone the rough demo and once the guys added their magic to it, it became one hell of a catchy tune. I’m truly delighted that through these lyrics, I get to share my feelings with all of you. 

Music Bugle – Who are you listening to right now, music-wise? 

Matty Lupinacci – These days, I’m actually on an Oasis vibe. I think it just came up on a shuffle and I was like, “Damn, I forgot about these guys.” There’s also a band over here on Long Island called Lunacy Commission, whom are very good friends that put out a powerful debut EP not too long ago and it’s been in my daily rotation now for weeks. Along with that, I’m also digging the new Blink-182. I mean it’s new and it’s Blink-182. 

Music Bugle – Does social media help or hurt musicians? 

Matty Lupinacci – Social media most definitely helps musicians. I remember when MySpace was a thing and recall how you could have a song played on your profile when someone visited your page. I think a majority of the world gets all of their news, music and gossip off of social media. It has definitely helped us along the way, but I don’t understand the algorithm thing. 

Music Bugle – Where do you go when you need a break? 

Matty Lupinacci – Lately, it’s been very difficult for me to even find time for a break, but when I do, you’ll most likely find me sitting in my backyard sipping on a bourbon and enjoying the company of my family. 

Music Bugle – What do you wish happened less in today’s music industry? 

Matty Lupinacci – I get this question a lot and it’s difficult for me to answer because I have ambivalent feelings about the subject. Nowadays, music is driven by the streaming sites such as Spotify and Apple Music. I find it amusing how some of these playlist curators think that they are the A&R representatives of Columbia Records, but I do think a majority of these playlists are simply controlled by bots and I still don’t get the whole algorithm thing. I was always a CD person and it would be cool to see CD’s make a comeback like vinyl has these past couple of years. 

Music Bugle – With that in mind, what’s your stance on the use of AI in music? 

Matty Lupinacci – I haven’t really researched on it enough to really make a specific comment other than it’s pretty crazy how you can take someone like Elvis Presley and basically write or rewrite any current song using his voice. The future of music is going to be a wild one, for sure. 

Music Bugle – What shows or movies do you binge on in your free time? 

Matty Lupinacci – I’m a big “Star Wars” fan and I I just finished “Ahsoka” and the last episode was awesome. A while back, I was browsing through Netflix and started to watch “The Flash” and boy, that took me a while, but I got to the end! Now, I’m looking forward to season 2 of “Loki” and the final “Cobra Kai.”

Music Bugle – What do you feel is the next step for the band to take? 

Matty Lupinacci – We are currently writing some new material and although not yet announced, we also onboarded our new drummer. We plan on kicking things off next year with some new tunes and shows in and around the Tri-State and maybe if there’s room for us, we’d love to hop on one of those summer festivals.