During the spring of 2023, senior Andrei Tapus was practicing his guitar with senior Dominic De Roulhac when an idea popped into their heads. Tapus and De Roulhac had been playing together for a couple months, realizing music brought them joy and leading them to start a band. While searching for a third band member, Tapus and De Roulhac learned that senior Anton Taffin played the drums. They invited Taffin to join their band, and Goodbye Landing was formed.

Inspired by famous punk bands in the nineties that started as high schoolers trying to achieve a dream, Tapus and De Roulhac decided they wanted to be active within the music community and create their own sounds. “We were definitely captivated by playing music with other people, because we hadn’t done anything like that before,” Tapus, the main songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, said. Musical artists such as Kurt Cobain and Nirvana have a major influence on the types of music that they create. According to Tapus, the name Goodbye Landing serves as a clean slate, allowing them to create any music that they enjoy. While inspired by punk music, they still wanted to add their own twist to their music, creating something different. 

 When the band members meet for practices, they often spend hours experimenting with different sounds. “We bring it together with the band and then we all throw our parts into it,” De Roulhac, the bassist said. The lyrics of their songs come from things each band member can resonate with. As the band’s main songwriter, Tapus helps to merge their ideas into their music while writing their songs. They constantly experiment with their instruments, finding new sounds to make their own. “It’s just spontaneous, what works and what doesn’t,” De Roulhac said. With newfound sounds, they strive to share their works with others in their community to take a more active role in music.

Performing provides the band with a sense of connection to their community. They perform at small events, on the streets, and at parties. “When we start making our music and we start performing that, it’s just a lot more fun to project that,” Taffin, the drummer said. Through countless performances and practices, the band strives to further their connections with each other and the music community as a whole. Creating music established a connection to the music community that they wouldn’t have found otherwise. “If there’s other friends that want to play music, it’s just a good way to have a social activity,” Taffin said. According to De Roulhac, their music is a way for the band members to tell their own stories to the world. “You meet a bunch of random people, and they share their stories,” De Roulhac said. As their skills have developed, the band has discovered that their passion for music is far more than just a fun hobby. Through music, Goodbye Landing has been able to build connections within their music scene community. “When people actually pull up [to the shows], it’s the most amazing feeling ever,” Tapus said. 

In the past two years, the band has performed in many events and created their own music. “WAVVES,” their first recorded single, was released on August 19th, 2024. Tapus feels that the release of the single signified the true beginning of their band. “It was the first song that was something we were really proud of,” Tapus said. With the success of releasing a single, the band aims to release an EP within the next year.