Matt doesn’t shy away from political themes or self-deprecation in his songwriting and his fourth LP is no different. This album explores love and loss with an element of nostalgia, whilst he battles with the realisation of his own mortality, climate anxiety and the uncertainty of the cost-of-living crisis.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, his calming vocals and upbeat instrumentals with echoes of Belle and Sebastian reassure us that we’re going to be ok. The opening track ‘Mother’ is an intimate introduction, beginning with just his piano and the lyrics “I don’t want to make a big scene, I just need a moment lying on this street…” which set up the themes of the album. The authentic charm he’s known for is not lost as the song builds in layers of drums, guitar, and harmonies to the emotional chorus where he comforts his mother through his break-up. The theme of connections carries into ‘Irony would have it’ which is almost a love song to a father figure, with playful chords and a sentimental message of hoping he feels happy again.
Overall, a solid album with gloomy lyrics over groovy instrumentals
Next, we get to arguably the strongest point in the album. These tracks are optimistically pessimistic, which doesn’t make sense, but somehow the phrase fits with this release. Out of the eleven songs it’s hard to pick a favourite, but ‘Florence’, ‘Museum’ and ‘Widows’ are some of mine. ‘Florence’ has a retro feel to it, it’s catchy and I can imagine it on the stage. Apparently, it was written when he was 18, which might explain the slightly different sound.
‘Museum’ is about being unable to escape past versions of yourself because of memories attached to places and objects. Though it has a dark tone, it captures the fear of the passage of time well and it celebrates love as a constancy to get us through with fast keys and a nice bit of optimistic trumpet. ‘Widows’ follows similar themes, but also states love as the secret to surviving the state of the world in 2023. This song is reminiscent of his 2017 single ‘As the World Caves In’ with its apocalyptic narrative.
Some of the weaker tracks are ‘Mortician’, ‘Coward’ and ‘Suspend your Disbelief’, as although there are some strong moments lyrically, they aren’t as memorable as the other tracks. The feature with Biig Piig on ‘Coward’ works well though, as their voices harmonise beautifully and create a softer sound. Some of these tracks might just take a few more listens, but my favourites will be on repeat. Overall, a solid album with gloomy lyrics over groovy instrumentals. 3.5/5
