Matchbox Twenty Break Down New Album Where the Light Goes Track by Track: Exclusive
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The post Matchbox Twenty Break Down New Album Where the Light Goes Track by Track: Exclusive appeared first on Consequence.
Track by Track is our recurring feature series in which artists guide readers through each song on their latest release. Today, Matchbox Twenty break down their first album in over a decade, Where the Light Goes.
Today (Friday, May 25th), Matchbox Twenty have unveiled their first new album in over a decade, Where the Light Goes. The multi-platinum pop-rock band returns with relatability, authenticity, and their trademark sound.
Originally, the commercial titans were planning on reuniting just for a few songs and a tour. But after working on what would become the record’s title track, the band became driven by inspiration.
“At this time, we were just going to tour and put out a song or two and this was one of the first ones we all kind of agreed on,” frontman Rob Thomas says of “Where the Light Goes.” “The real telling thing for me was after I sent Paul the demo that I made he sent it to Kyle and then when it got back to me it just immediately sounded like Matchbox Twenty. I realized that when we all work together it creates the DNA that becomes a Matchbox song.”
From the punchy lead single “Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream)” to the stripped-back ballad “Hang on Every Word,” it’s clear that Matchbox Twenty are back to bring emotionally raw hooks and a sense of togetherness. Even ideas that originally came from outside the scope of the band became swallowed up by their creativity.
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“[‘No Other Love’] wasn’t intended for Matchbox,” band member Paul Doucette explains. “But Gregg asked me if I had any songs, so I sent a bunch to him and the guys and they all picked this one. Honestly, I was surprised. It didn’t seem like a Matchbox kind of song at the time. I am really glad they did though. They took it to a whole new level.”
Listen to Matchbox Twenty’s first album in over a decade, Where the Light Goes, below, followed by the band’s Track by Track breakdown of the record.
Matchbox Twenty just kicked off their North American tour with support from Matt Nathanson, Ben Rector, and Hudson Thames. Tickets for the remaining dates are on sale here.
“Friends”:
I came up with the intro part first but didn’t know where to go with it. Sent it around but it just wasn’t getting cracked. Gregg (Wattenberg) really encouraged me to keep going with it though. He became the sounding board I needed to figure it out. Not just for this song, but everything I contributed to this record. I looked at a poster by an artist named Deedee Cheriel that says, “You have everything you need” and then it clicked. It became a song about self-belief. The “friends” in the song are really you and what you already have in you. That idea felt like the track to me. — Paul Doucette
“Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream)”:
The last song written for the album. We had finished up and were about to move on to mix when Paul sent in a track that really inspired me. It had a real vibrance to it and reminded me of a lot of my favorite songs growing up. It inspired lyrics about being a misfit kid when you’re young until you find your group of “others” that become your extended family and kind of the life force of your youth. — Rob Thomas
“Rebels”:
Across the whole band, this is probably the one that we’re the most excited about playing live. Lyrically, it’s a song about getting older and realizing that maybe it’s not your job to rebel against everything all the time. I started this as a piano demo that had a little 80s “Petty” thing to it but Paul really took it somewhere special. — R.T
“One Hit Love”:
Paul started this song, and when he brought it to us we loved it instantly, but he felt like he didn’t have a chorus. This song took us the longest of any to finish. We would write a chorus one night, be super excited by it and then the next day realize it wasn’t the right one. We would do that over and over. We wrote, like, five different bridges, and then at the last minute, scratched having a bridge altogether, sometimes it works like that. Glad we put in the effort. — R.T
“Warm Blood”:
I wrote this one day sitting at the piano. I tend to start most of my songs on the piano. I sent it to Rob in a cluster of other ideas but he never said anything about it so I just put it away. I decided to make a demo for it and that got his attention. The song on the record is pretty close to what the demo sounded like with some crucial touches from Gregg and Kyle. But then I came into the studio one day and Kyle had put this incredible solo over it. It’s my favorite moment on the record. — P.D.
“Queen of New York City”:
This is the most personal song on the record for me. I wrote this with Eric Arjes and Jeffrey East. My wife has been going through a lot of health problems for many years and I thought about how strong she was and how resilient she was and I had this image of an almost Don Quixote, like figure of a woman and because she was a born and bred New Yorker, I placed her in New York City and imagined her chasing the windmills that were the buildings. I guess it’s about how to be really strong in the face of certain things you have to be a little bit delusional to make it through. — R.T
“Where the Light Goes”:
This was the first song really considered for the record. Most likely why it’s the album title. At this time, we were just going to tour and put out a song or two and this was one of the first ones we all kind of agreed on. The real telling thing for me, was after I sent Paul the demo that I made he sent it to Kyle and then when it got back to me it just immediately sounded like Matchbox Twenty. I realized that when we all work together it creates the DNA that becomes a Matchbox song. — R.T
“Hang on Every Word”:
This is a song I wrote for my kid. It was just me telling them that no matter what, I’m here when they need me. I am so fortunate to be in a position to have Rob be the voice of my songs. His voice always takes them to a level I can’t get them to on my own. Nowhere is this more evident than on this song. Gregg really pushed me to allow this song to become something bigger than I had originally intended. And that let led us to bringing in John Metcalfe to write string arrangements. I am a huge fan of John’s work so working with him was a personal highlight for me. — P.D.
“Don’t Get Me Wrong”:
This song was sitting around, possibly for another solo record. I wrote it with Craig Wiseman and David Garcia. It was one of the first songs along with “Where The Light Goes” that the band had picked to want to record before we were going to make a full album. Lyrically the song is about how when people are in a relationship for a really long time they can have big fights that go on for a long time and sometimes in those fights it’s easy to think that it might be over. This song is just one person reassuring another person that it’s not the end. — R.T
“I Know Better:”
“I Know Better” in its infancy was just an opening piano line that I thought was interesting. But it later found a voice after a drawn out argument I had been stewing on with my girlfriend was left unresolved. She had insisted that I say she was right about something and that led to a larger idea about politicians who believe they are above being wrong. The melody and lyric took shape on a long drive up the coast of Florida where I was trying to tie that idea to that piano line I was intrigued by. — Kyle Cook
“No Other Love”:
I wrote this with a writer named Deana Carter. It wasn’t intended for Matchbox. But Gregg asked me if I had any songs, so I sent a bunch to him and the guys and they all picked this one. Honestly, I was surprised. It didn’t seem like a Matchbox kind of song at the time. I am really glad they did though. They took it to a whole new level. The bridge was written intentionally to be sung as a duet. Gregg had been doing some work with Amanda Shires at the time and he played it for her to see if she wanted to sing on it. Luckily, she said yes. It was the final piece of the puzzle. — P.D.
“Selling Faith”:
This was the second to last song written for the record. It’s a very simple song about someone who’s almost at the end of their rope, and just basically reaching out to anyone saying “if you have a little extra strength on you. I could certainly use some.” It went through a lot of different production vibes, some way bigger and some smaller, eventually I think we settled in on the exact right emotion. — R.T
Matchbox Twenty Break Down New Album Where the Light Goes Track by Track: Exclusive
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