Matthew Philips makes music that sits on many sonic cusps and creative crossroads. Whilst the infectiousness of the music certainly ticks a lot of boxes for pop fans, the integrity and, often, intensity with which it is delivered owes just as much to the rock world. Similarly, ‘Till It’s Over walks a fine line between analog authenticity and digital deftness, not to mention being able to fire off the anthemic as readily as the understated.
The title track pulls us in; it’s big, and it’s clever, a post-breakup song that, for a change, revels in positivity and forward-facing optimism. Sure, he is “picking up the pieces of [his] shattered heart” but does so in the knowledge that this is a necessary step, the first act in his story of moving on.
By contrast, “So In Love” sits in a subtler place, initially at least, though it still ebbs and flows between sonic highs and musical lulls, creating an excellent dynamic shape to the song. Similarly, “Always Be There” slowly burns from creative understatement to blistering highs, from beautiful balladry to explosive pop-rock.
It’s an album that runs through the conflicted feelings and lingering emotions experienced when a relationship ends, those moments when you would do anything to be back together, even if you know from experience that things will never really work out in the long run. It’s an album of love and loss and longing and, ultimately…life.
Intimate, personal, poignant, powerful, timeless, and through all of that, universally relatable.
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