Ahead of his performance at C2C Festival, Matt Stell has dived headfirst into a new era for his music, with the release of his new six-track EP – One of Us – out everywhere today.
Ahead of his performance at C2C Festival next month, Matt Stell has released his brand new EP – One of Us. Following the release of his previous EP – Better Than That – on which Stell appeared to have found his lane in country, this new EP shows an artist in full command of his own artistry, pushing that gear up into full force and digging deeper into his American roots.
Much of the record is born for an arena stage. So, ‘One of Us’ is a full throttle searing country rock track about inclusivity and celebrating your blue collar roots, ‘One of us got a chain if you get stuck / One of us got a cooler full of cold Busch / In the back of his truck / And if that sounds like you / You might be one of us.’ Elsewhere, fiery ‘This One’s Gonna Hurt’ offers a rip-roaring, rock-tinged hell raiser of a track about celebrating today, despite the hangover’s of tomorrow. ‘There’s proof in the bottle / That this ones gonna hurt like a buck from a bronco / But tonight, we’ll live it up ‘cause tomorrow / we’ll be laying low, no we ain’t gotta go to work (hell naw).’ It’s riotously fun and is bound for an arena performance (adding this to our C2C wishlist…) Of course, there’s other slick tracks to add to the mix – ‘Shut The Truck Up’ is an easy flowing track, where Stell tries to erase an ex-lover’s memory ingrained in the interior of his truck. ‘All my playlists, I can’t play em / From the A to the F to the XM dial / Every memory, every mile it reminds me of us / And I wish I could just shut the truck up.’ It’s an easy tripping melody.
Stell, though, has been known for his powerful ballads, and he does not disappoint on the EP – ‘Man Made’ is a gorgeous lilting track. ‘Behind any guy doing anything right is a woman’s work at hand / If a man made anything, it’s ’cause a woman made that man.’ Stell’s honeyed trademark vocals soar here, in this creatively meaningful and tender ballad about his gratitude for the women in his life, an idea followed through on ‘Roots In This Ground’ – where lesser artists would allow this to settle into corny territory, Stell’s delivery elevates the track – a sonorous ballad about settling down with the right girl. ‘‘Cause the pretty girls gonna put the settle in your down / And roots in this ground.’
However, it is the final track (‘Somewhere Over The Radio’) is the only track on the record not co-produced by Stell that shows his growth as an artist. It is very different in feel – a beautiful piano ballad narrating his need to leave town and chase music. ‘Somewhere over the radio way out past the county line / There’s a place where you wake up dreaming in the broad daylight / You know I got no choice but to chase those songs in the clouds / I know it sounds crazy but I can hear ‘em now / And I promise you girl when you’re riding around back home / You’ll hear me somewhere over the radio.’ With hardly any instrumentation to hide behind, the track shows the true power and musicality of Stell’s vocal and its masterfully delivered to showcase the full breadth and range of Stell as an artist. Chest-thrumping hell-raisers may be what you go to Stell’s concerts for, but doubtless these moments will be the ones that stick with you – just like in their studio versions.
