From his 2018 main label debut ‘Unhealthy Contestant’ onwards, Matt Maltese has reshaped his sound and character album-to-album, highlighting his attraction, smarts and constructive humour – all of which have afforded him the area to exorcise heartbreak in a playful spirit. In the identical time interval, the 25-year-old has grown to turn out to be certainly one of Britain’s most prolific younger songwriters, churning out 4 full-length information and an EP, in addition to yielding writing credit for NME 100 alumni together with Etta Marcus, Katie Gregson-Macleod and Sophie Might.
- Learn Extra: 5 issues we discovered from our In Dialog video chat with Matt Maltese
The tempo and quantity of Maltese’s output, nonetheless, meant that his early 20s have been largely spent both within the studio or on the highway; he’d turn out to be constant sufficient for followers to maybe take his ubiquity as a right. He earned a Billboard-charting hit within the epic ‘As The World Caves In’ which grew to become an sudden TikTok phenomenon in June 2021, 4 years after it first dropped. But the viral success would show a turning level: following the discharge of his third album ‘Good Morning It’s Now Tomorrow’ 4 months later, Maltese was able to bid adieu to a busy schedule, and reconnect together with his youthful self. He’d earned his floaty, joy-filled file.
With its unhurried vibe and ebullient, largely optimistic melodies, for Maltese, ‘Driving Simply To Drive’ represents a serious change – and one which he instructions. That sense of launch is obvious not solely within the vast spectrum of types he adopts right here, however within the certainty with which he pushes his homespun pop sound outwards. Guided by a cool piano line, ‘Florence’ conjures heat recollections of a transformative teenage gig for Maltese; later, ‘Droop Your Disbelief’ luxuriates in an ambiance of lo-fi sound results, banjos and peppy drums. A visitor vocal from Biig Piig on ‘Coward’, in the meantime, amplifies a set of luminous harmonies.
Musically, Maltese has no much less enjoyable than what he does with the content material of his lyrics. He usually commits his relationship anxieties to file with wit and levity, to make mild of the assorted states of existential horror he finds himself in. “You stated that males like me can’t make their thoughts up / I believe you’re fallacious however I can’t determine,” he quips on ‘Mortician’.
Regardless of its overarching playfulness, ‘Driving Simply To Drive’ has a central, standout second of disquiet. On ‘Widows’, Maltese’s lyrics really feel purposefully restrained: “And pull your blinds up / Watch the sky fall / Catch the birds’ funeral track.” Followers of Maltese’s usually lucid strategy might discover this impressionism irritating, however it step by step builds an efficient image of concern. Right here, his sense of scale is extra nuanced and outward-facing than ever earlier than, and in flip, Maltese’s writing will proceed to turn out to be all of the extra fascinating for it.
Particulars
- Launch date: April 28
- File label: Nettwerk
The submit Matt Maltese – ‘Driving Simply To Drive’ overview: an ode to the ability of on a regular basis magnificence appeared first on NME.
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