The Matinee

The Matinee's words paint an apt depiction of how we've all felt these past few years. Having suddenly had time at home, the band could have easily found themselves passing the days tinkering in the studio. “We were afraid of that freedom, and didn’t want to fall victim to over-producing or over thinking the songs” says frontman Matt Layzell. Instead, they opted to track it all live off-the-floor and capture the performances they had so dearly been missing with tour dates postponed until the world gained some sense of pre-pandemic normalcy.

 

The band brought in sought after producer Steve Dawson from Nashville to help craft the sound, and lend his pedal-steel chops to the record. “It was Steve’s enthusiasm for the songs that gave us the confidence to strip back the recording process from our previous albums, and just gather around the mics and hit record” adds guitarist Matt Rose.

 

The result is a collection of songs that feels at once both fresh and natural, a testament to a group that has honed their craft for the past 15 years with relentless touring. They have truly earned each broken string, each flat tire, each round on the house, and every story they hold.

 

‘Bad Addiction’ is an instant classic with a dose of southern soul, and a sing-along chorus reminiscent of Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats. Driving rocker ‘Road To Hell’, which will have you rolling down the windows while you’re cruising down the highway, would fit on any setlist by The Heartbreakers, and the bluesy ‘Shake It, Baby’ is sweetened courtesy of three-time Grammy-nominee Alison Russell.

 

In all, ten new songs make up this third full-length release, that also features guitarist Geoff Petrie, drummer Pete Lemon, keyboardists Georges Couling and Chris Gestrin, and bassists Marcus Abramzik and Joseph Lubinsky.