Mattie Vant is on the verge of releasing his third album with the release of new single ‘In The Dark Times’.
Taken as a lyrical interpretation of a 1938 poem of the same name by Bertolt Brecht – not a direct response to the past year – Mattie discovered the verse and wrote the song after reading an interview with British director Jonathon Glazer in which he described Brecht’s piece as the start point for his 2019 short, The Fall.
The track once again pushes the boundaries further as Mattie’s thought-provoking lyrics and grungy punk guitars reinstate himself as the DIY solo artist he once was.
Ever since the early days in Dalston’s iconic music venue ‘Birthdays’, VANT have been at the forefront of change, exploring new ways of creating music.
‘In The Dark Times’ is the result of months of refuge in his studio, The Lightly Padded Cell, during the pandemic where he finally decided to go with an idea he had only flirted with in the past; writing, performing and producing an album entirely on his own.
Still sticking to the name VANT, Mattie has taken a lo-fi classic approach and arguably his most personal record to date.
Inspired by Renaissance news reporting, 16th Century Italian Theatre and the work of Mark Linkous, the album is a voyeuristic browse through a philosophy undergrad’s part-auto-biographical, existential-dread tinged search history. Watch the music video here.
But that’s not to say it isn’t a fun record, Mattie’s witty lyrical form and tongue in cheek sensibilities permeate the doom scrolling. While stylistically the music continues to transform, the subject matter remains as a poignant commentary on world matters.
A world tour is in the pipeline and with new found confidence, creative independence and a general “fuck it” mentality, VANT 3.0 looks set to finally take Mattie to the heights he’s been shooting for since his acclaimed debut.
