Matt Shapiro - Fade In
Singer-songwriter Matt Shapiro premieres “Is There Something Going On?” on Rawckus. The track is from Shapiro’s forthcoming EP, Fade In, slated to drop March 8.
Matt Shapiro | Photo: Jesse Anders
According to Shapiro, “I approach making a record like I’m making a movie. My last album Metaphysical was very layered and wide-angle and made to sound kind of epic. With this new EP, Fade In, I made the conscious decision to go the other way. This one’s more disciplined, and really stripped down to essentials…more like a scrappy little indie. And it has more bite.”
While growing up in Montreal, Shapiro’s fascination with music left him feeling like a square peg in a round hole. Surrounded by professionals – doctors, lawyers, businessmen – he had no role models. Attempting to fit in, he attended university intending to practice law.
“It seemed like the sensible thing to do but deep down I knew I was on the wrong track. I just didn’t know what the right one was. I would get into my car at night and just drive around Montreal singing myself hoarse for hours on end. It was a side of me that nobody knew and yet it was the one thing that made me feel connected and alive,” says Shapiro.
Eventually, in his mid-twenties, he moved to New York. After going through culture shock, he began auditioning for bands. One gig led to another, and he was on his way.
Shapiro’s deliciously sumptuous falsetto flows above the music, attended by radiant vocal harmonies infusing the tune with glistening, wistful hues.
Shapiro recorded three solo albums, along with collaborating with DJ-producer Tone Depth on To The Moon, picked up by the U.K.’s Audiotherapy label. The duo hooked up again in 2016, collaborating on Halls of White, released by Noir Music.
Meanwhile, Shapiro’s solo projects were featured on television shows, including 15 Love, Charlie Jade, Webdreams, CW’s Melrose Place revival, and The Young and The Restless.
“Is There Something Going On?” opens on gleaming colors riding a retro synth-pop melody full of streaming energy. Potent bass line triplets and compact percussion hold down the rhythm, as Shapiro’s deliciously sumptuous falsetto flows above the music, attended by radiant vocal harmonies infusing the tune with glistening, wistful hues.
Defined by sinuous sonic textures, gentle with gracious undulating momentum, the feel and mood of the track encompasses melancholic foreboding, as Shapiro weighs the probability of romantic infidelity and betrayal.
“I watch you from a distance / Your smile so fake / You scan the room for weakness / And slip away / Is there something going on?”
Retro vibes and scrumptious scintillating patinas of color coalesce to make “Is There Something Going On?” enormously alluring.
