Indie-pop duo release summer tunes
Matt and Kim are back, and this time they’ve released a lighthearted, cheerful party album.
Almost three years after they produced their last album, indie-pop sensations Matt and Kim released the newest addition to their collection of LP’s, New Glow, on April 7, 2015.
Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino, the duo that captivated the world after receiving an MTV Video Music Award in 2009 in the category of Breakthrough Video for “Lessons Learned,” are one of the few two-person acts to actually be a couple. According to music website Diffuser, the two open up about their relationship more than they ever have on a previous album, but in a vague way that everyone can relate to.
Regarding his relationship with Schifino, Johnson told SheKnows, a women’s lifestyle media platform, “In any other relationship I would have been in, we would have killed each other, in like disastrous, terrible ways.”
The 10-track album reached a peak position of number 33 on the Billboard 200 chart for its lighthearted and upbeat songs. The first track, “Hey Now” features a catchy chorus backed musically by a horn that easily captures attention, just like the woodwind instrument in “Can You Blame Me” does.
In a recent interview with Brittany Spanos from Rolling Stone, Johnson says, “We don’t want to mature in albums. We want to keep things simple and fun.”
Keeping with that goal is the nonsensically addicting song “Hoodie On,” which discusses the superpowers that a hoodie possesses. Though such lyrics don’t express a significant message, they help solidate a carefree tone for the album. It’s as though Matt and Kim are creating an escape for their fans through this fast-paced, party anthem-filled LP.
“Make A Mess” is another example of the energy that the Brooklyn-based duo bring to the indie-pop category. The song, which has a steady, quick tempo, is the evident dance track from New Glow. Johnson sings about being “so sick of playing by the rules, so bored of caring what is cool,” and calls fans to “scream the loudest and get all the lyrics wrong,” symbolizing the importance the two give to letting loose.
Similarly, “Get It” justifies the spirit of partying. In the song, Johnson sings of various experiences in unrelated fragments following the clarification that all the “[losing] control and “[making] mistakes” happens “at 1 AM.”
Keeping with the cheerful attitude of New Glow, the second-to-last song, “Not Alone” assures fans, through minimal words, that brighter days will follow “the pain and hate.”
Matt and Kim are currently touring the U.S., and will be playing two sold out shows at DC’s 9:30 Club, where fans can expect to be met with nothing but positive energy from the couple. Like Schifino told SheKnows, “Our shows are not shows where people stand or sway; it gets pretty crazy.”
