Matt Talley – The In Between
Matt Talley is an Alternative Rock artist coming out of Baltimore, Maryland. He is not afraid to touch on hot topics within his music as he “does not shy away from exploring themes rooted in life, love, politics, and faith.” Matt Talley started out in garage bands until he released his debut EP, “Bridge Burner”, in 2014. The EP helped Talley build a name for himself locally by playing a bunch of shows. Recently, Matt Talley released his sophmore EP, “The In Between”, and it is sure to be a favorite among music fans!
I had the chance to hear Matt Talley’s thoughts on the new EP. “The EP is a collection of songs written over the last 4 years about my reckoning of sorts with faith and the relationships I’ve had (and lost) because of that reckoning. It’s helped me understand who I am in the light of faith as opposed to that which I grew up with and spent smooch time clinging to. I had the extreme honor of working with Stephen Keech of Haste the Day/As Cities Burn and Matthew Hoopes of Relient K, two musicians that I’ve listened to and looked up to for years. They helped me craft come of the best guitar parts I’ve heard in a while and develop what I can now sincerely consider to be ‘my sound’.”
I love the way that “The In Between” starts off. Talley begins the EP with Acetate, a scratchy, record type recording. I love the simplicity of the instrumentals and the nostalgia that comes with listening to this recording. Talley ends the song with the lyrics “this is my story, this is my song. Tell you all about how I abandoned the lie”. After that song, Talley goes into an album that has such amazing quality you can’t help but enjoy it. The EP follows with Burn Away, one of my favorite songs on the album. You can hear the emotion that Matt Talley pours onto the track through his vocals. “And now you call me your family, a thing that I’ve never known or felt or even seen. Or ever hoped I’d have even in all my wildest dreams, now you say it belongs to me? The contradictions all stack up, tightening chains I thought already fell off. Tell me was it worth all it cost, to trade the world for the should that you lost?” The way Matt Talley’s vocals compliment the instrumentals on this track is flawless!
The EP continues with Stained Glass Smile, a song where Talley showed off his vocal talents. The song begins with soft spoken vocals and calm instrumentals. What I love is the way Matt Talley amps up his vocals and gets a lot edgier; very similar to that of Thrice or Taking Back Sunday. “Take…all that I have until my faith, is only built on words that make me look down on all for failing your shallow laws!” Matt Talley does an amazing job of adding a new sound to each track on “The In Between”. On the following song, Excommunicate, Talley gives off a very punk vibe, speaking his vocals and sharing his emotions for the world to hear. This is a verse I can see fans screaming back at Talley from the crowd!
“The In Between” ends with three final songs; The In Between, Don’t Make a Sound and Let Go. Talley does an outstanding job of adding diversity to his album by making each of these songs have totally different styles and sounds. The album’s title track gives off a big Thirty Seconds to Mars vibe, as the sound goes through soft vocals and instrumentals to hard hitting, fast paced action! Talley follows up with Don’t Make a Sound, a song that reminds me a lot of a Vampire Weekend and U2. Talley incorporates the keyboard/pop sound perfectly with the guitars and drums to make a classic track! The EP ends with Let Go, a song that has guitar chords reminiscent of Relient K or Red Hot Chili Peppers. To me, this song is Talley’s ode to his past, present, and future. He questions the way he was taught his whole life and exemplifies his distancing from what he no longer believes to be true. “Yeah the outcome of the game, ain’t to show you how to win. And the purpose of the sea, ain’t to show you how to swim. Cause the ending to the race, doesn’t have to be up front. And the answers to life’s questions, they ain’t always what you want. So just let it go, c’mon now let it go. And I’ll let go, Oh my God, just let it go.”
I have to agree with Matt Talley when he stated that he has finally found “sound.” “The In Between” is a classic EP that will surely lead to bigger and better things for Talley. I do not have a single negative thing to say about it; from the production, the order of the songs, and the sincere honesty in the vocals, this EP will resonate with every listener!
Matt Talley stated: “This EP has been opening so many doors to playing larger shows and developing really great relationships with people who have been helping me navigate the music industry and I’m just crazy grateful for all that’s transpired since deciding to give this music thing a chance.” If I haven’t convinced you to become a fan already, check out Matt Talley’s social media pages and listen to his music on the blog’s Spotify playlist; After Hours Review!
Upcoming Matt Talley Shows
Wednesday, July 25th, 2018 – Baltimore Soundstage w/ CKY and Palm Trees in Moscow