Having read that one astute reviewer labelled Matthew Squires as an obvious “successor to Austin’s late great Daniel Johnston,” I don’t think I could put it better myself. Which is why I have stolen the quote. And like his fellow Austinite, Squires’ music is hard to describe in a way that doesn’t devalue unique and magical qualities.
“Wing Song” has the same childlike quality, a sense of innocence running through it, though it is anything but children’s music, perhaps better described as the soundtrack to something somehow mythical or fairy-tale-esque. It blends pop smarts with folk finesse, a 60’s psyche vibe and some rootsy grit, and thus, sits fully in no one musical camp. It seems a simple song, that is, until you dig a bit deeper and you realise that this is both wonderfully wonky and somehow sophisticated. Illusive music indeed!
Now in New York, Squires has hooked up with Sunk Coast, whose deft production touches create the right sense of space for a song inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s free-spirited writing.
A heady blend of quirk and quality, this first collaboration between the two has produced great results; hopefully, this is the first of many such joint efforts.
