Wicked Dreams of Nostalgia

Happy Wednesday morning, Finetuners. We are fast approaching the holidays! With that, I wanted to align this week with something that sort of recognizes themes that some of you could be feeling approaching the holidays - change, nostalgia, self-discovery. This week we are talking about Mat Kerekes’s most recent release, but also his music by and large. Put the coffee on, sit back, and let’s take this journey together!

Who is Mat Kerekes?

Mat is a gem! He is fairly artistic in every creative project he pursues. You can see him posting well-executed photography on his Instagram, all the while recording and releasing some highly emotive, relatable music. To cap off how cool he is, Mat is also widely known for his lead vox in the epic post-hardcore band Citizen. If you aren’t familiar, make yourself familiar - they are such icons.

As you can probably imagine/predict, a lot of the solo work he’s doing is a bit more stripped down in comparison to the work he does in Citizen. This solo project is a place for him to be more personal with a heavy theme throughout the record being self-reflection (transitioning through life’s phases, working through relationships). Similar to the aforementioned skillset of Mat, he also applies that artistic eye and flexes that creative muscle on the album artwork and other visual aspects of releases.

What To Expect Sonically

Mat is similar to other groups and unique all in the same. Some artists that I would compare his sound to more deliberately would be the following: Microwave, Oso Oso, Ben Quad, Have Mercy, and Turnover. As a quick aside, don’t rule out one, some, or all of these being future Finetuned newsletters! I am a fan of each of these, so it’s not out of the question, folks.

Mat’s approach with these tunes lean on emo sensibilities but aligns also with a slowed-down post-hardcore. I would argue that there are even country elements, namely in this most recent release. Twangy guitar, lots of violin, high-clarity vocals. Expect a patient approach to the music where emptiness is celebrated - where space is seen as a good thing, not a scary thing.

Wicked Dreams, Times of Change 

This most recent release was written during his return to his hometown of Toledo. To Dream of Something Wicked is an album marked by raw, emotive lyrics, and that stripped-back production we talked about that highlights his distinctive storytelling style. Each track contributes to a cohesive narrative exploring love, memory, and personal growth, often tinged with bittersweet undertones throughout.

I recommend this album pretty heavy! With that said, don’t only engage here - his album “Luna & the Wild Blue Everything” is probably my fave/second fave release from him. With tracks like “My Lucky #3” and “Direction” you can tell this is the stuff that is most similar to Citizen. Get stuck in, lads!

Thanks for reading here, Finetuners! I do hope you all have enjoyed this week’s Finetuned. I’d appreciate any insights, admiration, or otherwise. You can reply to the newsletter directly or DM me on Twitter. (or email me here: [email protected])

Please do share Finetuned with your friends & fam & whoever else! I believe great music should be shared, cherished, and understood from all sorts of perspectives.

See you all in the next one! 🙌