Matt Portland, a young songwriter from London, is certainly one to watch over the next few months. After releasing his debut single ‘South Destruction’, accompanied with B-Side ‘As Summer Blows Away’, Portland will be releasing a string of singles before a debut EP.
The latest single ‘Secondary’ fits perfectly with his last release, with the rich sounds of strings, prominent piano and huge reverbs. Similarly, this track drew inspiration from the ballads of the late 60’s and 70’s and soundtracks from that era, attempting a modern take on the Wall of Sound. The song starts with a finger picked guitar, haunting background vocals and a guitar drone played with a slide, inspired by Morricone’s Spaghetti westerns. The piano is introduced when the first verse begins with an intimate slap back vocal before the drums kick in. The song gradually builds from the pre-chorus as the song opens up with the addition of percussion, strings and acoustic guitar. Portland continues to build the soundscape by adding and removing instruments to keep each section distinct.
‘Secondary’ lyrically battles with the idea of wanting to reconnect with someone but not knowing whether the other person has moved on. The chorus explains when the two were together it was taken for granted and was not appreciated until it broke down. When attention is focused on other things, it ultimately leaves a relationship to sit in second place. You can attempt to isolate yourself, however it’s difficult to do so when you both circle the same ground. ‘Secondary’ is free to download, in addition to Portland’s previous release, on either Matt Portland’s Soundcloud page or Bandcamp.
Matt is a solo artist who writes, produces and plays every instrument on his songs, recorded in his small home studio. He picked up his first instrument a little under 3 years ago and began writing shortly after. His songwriting style draws from a wide range of musical and literary influences. Musically he pulls from the pop music of the 60’s and 70’s, from the huge reverbs of Abbey Road to the rich strings and prominent piano ballads of Hunky Dory and Lennon’s Imagine LP. Influence also draws from writers such as Bukowski and Burroughs.