As a lot as some critics would possibly declare in any other case, the reality is that making pop music with an natural pulse isn’t simple – that’s until you’re MattO, who flexes some critical sonic muscle in his new single “It’s All About Me.” On this mood-laden extravaganza, music and lyrics carry the identical weight in evocativeness, and whereas the rhythm is the primary focus within the grasp combine, there’s a pure, brazenly accessible lyricism to pin every little thing collectively in a cosmopolitan patchwork of poetry.

MattO goes all-in on a dreamy groove on this observe and rewards anybody inside earshot with a wealth of melodic magic.   I’m loving these understated melodic elements within the refrain – the place a number of equally stylized songs have been using a colder, artificial-sounding texture when mixing their hook, MattO does the precise reverse right here (and, subsequently, appears like a reputable, progressive genius for doing so). The grooves are studded with colourful melodies, and I believe that your entire tune turns into a stadium-shaking anthem due to the contribution that they make alongside the bassline. It’s a distinct means of constructing pop music for positive, and presumably one that would invite extra conventional followers into the underground aspect of the style as properly.  

MattO’s persistence within the supply of his phrases is extraordinary, and nothing about “It’s All About Me” feels rushed, pressured, or thrown collectively. You don’t need to be an knowledgeable in recording or songwriting to acknowledge the stacked layers throughout the construction of the combination, and I believe it’s fairly clear that the identical period of time and a focus went into perfecting the vocal observe as properly. It will actually shock me if MattO recorded this in lower than a dozen takes, as a result of every little thing feels too obsessively organized and significantly well-synchronized for me to assume that this was accomplished in such a brief period of time.

There’s by no means a degree in “It’s All About Me” the place I hear the devices getting crowded or being pressured to vie for our affections in some overpoweringly clouded mashup of melodies, and I credit score the producers for maintaining the tune as streamlined and cohesive as they did. The substance right here is sublimely surreal, however I like that MattO doesn’t depend on a bunch of psychedelic breakdowns or druggy spoken phrase diatribes to make us really feel engaged and concerned with the unique assortment of tones.

I’m positive he may take it a step additional if he wished to make one thing a bit extra avant-garde, however this present sound is one which I can think about being very profitable for him on the mainstream city pop circuit.   If this single is a style of what’s to return subsequent, MattO is in for a really lengthy and achieved profession in pop music, which isn’t one thing that I can say about many of the artists that make their solution to my desk.

What makes this man such a vibrant, memorable participant isn’t essentially his dynamic vary and even his originality as a lyricist; it’s rooted in his spirited execution, which presents us with simply as many emotional daggers because the phrases he sings. “It’s All About Me” is actually good stuff, and I give it a real stamp of approval.  

Mindy McCall