Two years after releasing their second album, Matt & Kim are back in action with their new LP Lightning. True to their roots, the duo has incorporated their classic mixture of feel-good lyrics and hand-clapping rhythms into their new album.
Their first song off the album, “Let’s Go,” was released earlier this summer and is the beginning of an upbeat album reminiscent of summer’s sweet beginning. It sets the tone for the rest of the album that seems overwhelmingly cheerful in the gloom of Carmel’s foggy weather.
“It’s Alright” demands to distract you from the depths of despair and keeps up the summer spirit with a happy beat that employs a foot-stomping chorus and an easy, uplifting message: “It’s alright, you’ll see…it’s alright, believe.”
At the climax of the album is “Overexposed,” a song dedicated to Matt & Kim’s hits “Daylight” and “Cameras” off their previous albums. With complete sincerity, Matt sings, “Like a picture, I was overexposed/believe me I saw it with my eyes closed.”
It’s refreshing to hear an artist who admits to being overexposed by the media, but as far as bands go, Matt & Kim seem to be as happy as their songs.
Their song “Now” plays with the techno undertones that Matt & Kim are known for, which may seem an odd choice for a folksy band that found its followers through hand-clapping and innocent lyrics, but it works.
In the midst of inspirational lyrics, Matt & Kim write “Not That Bad,” a song whose chorus sings, “You called me homeless/but I swear it’s not that bad.” Despite the sad undertone, this might be my favorite song off the album. The message, “closed doors make it hard to see ahead,” hits home for me.
The rest of the album is a Matt & Kim mixture of vocal harmonies, techno undertones and toe-tapping rhythms.
Matt & Kim closes their album with “Ten Dollars I Found,” a short and sweet ballad that plays softly before fading out and ending the album.
As always, the songs are easy to listen to, and whether you’re at the beach enjoying the last days of summer weather or sitting home drinking tea and being anti-social, I’d recommend taking a listen.
Perhaps “Not That Bad” will remind you of every student who swears it’s not that bad. Or perhaps it will be the chorus of “Let’s Go” that makes you want to jump up and do something. Either way, you will enjoy these songs.
Whether you’re already in a good mood or want to be in a good mood, Matt & Kim’s Lightning is for you. For lack of a better description, it just gives you a good feeling.
Lightning is Matt & Kim’s new album and will be released Oct. 2.
-Alex Burns-
