vern matz and the exposed tenderness of "Tokyo Sounds"

 

"And caught myself thinking about you / Every night for the last week..."

My first thought as I listen to "Tokyo Sounds" by Brooklyn based duo vern matz is that while the lo-fi acoustic sway and painfully somber vocals ("the sounds of the city / boy they’re so pretty") are, indeed, pretty ("they honk and go round, round, round / you should hear Tokyo") they feel a bit contrived ("I’ve seen every doctor / I’m locked in a locker") but, god, I am so fucking judgmental ("sitting here with a Gameboy Color / playing Pokémon Red") and stopped being a kid at like 12 ("I need a consolation / for my reservations / about you"). I am at times a hard person and I know this about myself but the vocal performance here is slowly chipping away at the cynicism that coats my skin like dried hardened clay ("you’re a snake on an apple / waiting to grapple / waiting to bite my hands / in my dreams...") and the line, metaphor about the snake is so exquisitely poetic ("I’ve walked through the curtain / broken the burden / and caught myself thinking about you / every night for the last week") and the line about realizing that you love someone is so incredibly romantic and somehow sad too. ("I’ve seen every person / do all the worst things / do all the worst things / you could do") I love this song and realize that it is not contrived at all but just deeply real and also realize that if a song touches you in some way, even in an infinitesimal way than it is more than just a song. 

"Tokyo Sounds" touches me and is from vern matz' upcoming LP.

-Robb Donker Curtius

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

https://www.facebook.com/vernmatz

https://soundcloud.com/vernmatz/tokyo-sounds-1/s-Qxj4EZNr4sq

https://www.instagram.com/vern_matz/?hl=en

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLGzKZvXmcqJe1YyH2CATRw

https://open.spotify.com/album/


Hi-fi DIY, the duo is often described as two hooligan folk rockers who stand opposed to brunch culture. Daniel Belgrad is a Korean American who mistrusts penguins due to their tendency to perform acts of radical violence. Joining him is the elusive Michael Lituchy, a Taurus who secretly writes songs in the twilight while raising cattle in remote Connecticut.

Text 310-310-0888 with the name of a film you recently enjoyed, and we'll be bonded for eternity (or until we slowly drift apart and finally realize at our family's thanksgiving that it's over).



vern matz, indie rock, hi-fi DIY, folk indie, alternative music, slowcore,  "Tokyo Sounds", upcoming full length, beautiful, emotional, melancholy folk, bedroom pop, lo-fi,