Album Review: Matt and Kim, 'New Glow'
by David Safar
April 06, 2015
Once at the forefront of danceable indie music, Matt and Kim release their fifth studio album in a music landscape oversaturated with disposable "pop-ternative" hits. Once a narrow genre that put Fader into the label business, alternative pop music is now a breeding ground for bands aspiring to commercial success. That success usually comes from a single song and not an album. Matt and Kim cast aside the formula for commercial success to create a full-length album that shares the more honest side of their music.
The songs on New Glow sound as if they were written in one sitting. This seems unlikely from a band with a non-stop tour schedule. Removing the gimmicks of their live performances, Matt and Kim maintain the same sonic qualities of their first songs. Simple melodies, repetitive lyrics and lo-fi drum sounds have been the duo's calling card for the last decade. Despite Lars Stalfors's production credits, songs like "Killing Me" and "World Is Ending" are unmistakably written and produced by the couple who share a unique musical bond.
It might have been more logical for Matt and Kim to create an album they could trigger with a spacebar so they could continue to develop their live-stage antics. Instead, they recorded songs that might not make the live set. Specifically, the album's closing song is an example of Matt's commitment to writing songs that are anything but disposable stage anthems. "I See Ya" is Matt's letter home to the friends and family the duo have been missing as they tour the world. It's an anticlimactic but touching ending to New Glow.
The lyric video for Matt and Kim's single, "Get It", includes clips from Rock the Garden 2014: