Matt Maeson dropped his sophomore album “Never Had To Leave” on Friday and it’s so good it makes my heart hurt.
Do you ever get those tingly sessions in your brain when you listen to really good music? That’s known as frisson, a brief moment of emotional excitement. A few moments in this album did that for me.
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Maeson, a Nashville-based musician, has lyrics that are raw and vulnerable in a way that only a truly skilled artist can obtain. It’s something that’s been in his music from the beginning, but time has only strengthened his skills.
The album was mainly produced by Maeson’s longtime collaborator James Flannigan (MARINA, Broods). According to a press release, the album came together during a series of “free-flowing, highly experimental sessions” in Nashville, Los Angeles and Austin.
“The reason I make music is I want my music to help people feel justified in whatever they’re feeling, especially if they’re going through hard times,” Maeson said. “When I was 17 I started performing in prisons as part of my parents’ prison ministry, and I realized what music could do as far as helping people feel dignified and less alone. It was a way of bringing light into one of the darkest possible places, and right away I knew I wanted to do that for everyone. Keeping that in mind has always motivated me to write as honestly as possible, without filtering anything out.”
The album explores themes of starting new after struggling for a long time and self-destruction. There’s a self-loathing some of us deal with and Maeson’s music provides an outlet for those feelings that is hard to come by.
The album opens strong with “Blood Runs Red.” This is easily one of those songs you can play again and again. “I did too much living and I’m dying again.” The instrumentals guide you through the song.
My personal favorite song off the album is “Cut Deep.” Maeson raps and sings as the beat carries us through the song. The lyric that hits me the hardest is, “They won’t fix ya. They ain’t with ya. They won’t muzzle the mouth that just bit ya.” Maeson had this to say about the song, “Cut Deep is about how ugly and manipulative this business can be and how I can still succeed without sacrificing my integrity. Maybe that means I’ll never be a megastar, or headline the Super Bowl, or have a McDonald’s meal named after me but I can rest easy being proud of what I create and those creations are part of me, not just a product.”
The sixth song on the album, “Nelsonwood Lane,” dropped earlier this year. Maeson said the song took his entire life to write. “A lot of you will have no idea what it’s about and that’s OK. This one was for me. I’m happy I wrote it, I’m happy it’s out. I hope you like it.”
Next, we have to talk about “Twisted Tongue” because -- wow. The instrumentals, the lyrics, the overall vibe -- it hits everything just right. Music is meant to evoke emotion and this song seems to have the ability to pull forgotten memories from the pit of my stomach, draw them up my spine and drop them into the back of my head. “And I’ll hide everything in my head, forget everyone that I’ve met and I’ll never be open again. Oh, how good it must feel to not love anything.”
“Problems” is a smooth song that I could easily play on a loop for 24 hours, bopping my head the whole time. “My memories have started to hurt my head. I’m hallowed and dry. I’m too tired to try. My memories have started to hurt my head. I am who I am. The ache in my skin. My memories have started to know me less. I never really been this good at making regrets.”
The album ends with “My Hand/Lawless Dream,” another song that tugs on that pain buried deep within our souls. “Stretch tight the skin I was lost in my rib cage. Traveling ghostlike through the veins. I never wanna feel this way again.”
Maeson is on tour, but does not appear to be making a stop in Michigan this year. He will be in Toronto, Ontario on Oct. 2, Cincinnati, Ohio, on Oct. 4 and Chicago, Illinois on Oct. 6. You can check for tickets and more tour dates by clicking here.
Previous album coverage: Matt Maeson releases debut album “Bank On The Funeral,” an emotional masterpiece
NEVER HAD TO LEAVE IS OUT NOW pic.twitter.com/3wf8LWOkGT
— Matt Maeson (@MattMaeson) August 26, 2022
There are 12 songs in this album for a total of 44 minutes and 59 seconds of music.
Track list:
- Blood Runs Red
- Never Had To Leave
- Cut Deep
- Lonely As You
- Cry Baby
- Nelsonwood Lane
- Twisted Tongue
- Problems
- Waltz Right In
- Sanctified
- A Memory Away
- My Hand/Lawless Dream
Click here to listen to the entire album yourself.