Matchbox Twenty has just released their fifth studio album, Where the Light Goes, after an eleven year hiatus.
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Despite lead pianist Paul Doucette telling Variety that he initially, “had written [the band] off,” Matchbox Twenty is back for the first time since their 2012 album North. With massive hits like, “Push,” “How Far We’ve Come,” and “Unwell,” Matchbox Twenty is well regarded as a figure of 90s and 2000s Pop and Alternative music, but with today’s release of Where the Light Goes, the band demonstrates that they are back in a new modern way. “When we get back together, we’re all much more secure and, yeah, a little older,” lead singer Rob Thomas joked in their press release. “We’re not worried about fitting into a box.”
Where the Light Goes reminds listeners of the band’s distinct sound while still presenting a new and updated edge. Eleven years would naturally change anyone, but for Matchbox Twenty, they believe it changed their music and band dynamic for the better. As said by Doucette, “we have all of these different ways of looking at music and abilities to now bring to the fold. It’s almost like we’re a new band every single time.”
The GRAMMY award winning band found this newness when developing their mode of songwriting. “This album was definitely informed by what was happening in our individual studios,” lead guitarist Kyle Cook revealed. “An idea would be shared by one of us, and somebody else would take it another direction. We’ve never worked this way before. We explored our own creativity and used it to make an album that really embodies what we love about music.” And their songs clearly reflect that sense of musical rejuvenation. Their single, “Wild Dogs (Running In A Slow Dream)” is packed with new energy and calls for adventure, all wrapped up in a smooth Pop package. “We got a restless feeling / And in a world of people / There’s only you and me” Thomas calls out.
The same energy is present in “Rebels,” but transformed into the story of a retrospective adult. With the title line being, “we’re all rebels when we’re young / I think it’s time you let it go now,” the song perfectly compliments the band’s new perspective of past appreciation while remaining forward thinking. Still, it’s their new song, “Queen of New York City,” one the band calls their favorite, simply because, “it’s definitely a classic Matchbox song.” For singer Rob Thomas, the song has special meaning. “It’s about my wife,” he announced. “No matter what, she finds the resilience to keep going, because she has a sense of who she is and knows herself.” Believe it or not, “Queen of New York City” even includes a sample of his wife’s cardiac MRI. Talk about pulling on heartstrings!
Matchbox Twenty will be kicking off their Slow Dream Tour this weekend in Las Vegas, traveling throughout the US and ultimately ending in Illinois. Be sure to check out Where the Light Goes, which is sure to have some summer hits waiting for you.
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