Hailing from across the pond in New Jersey, singer-songwriter Matt Deangelis brings us his latest offering “Livin’ It” – Matt has been very open with his journey about mental health and experiences with OCD and anxiety, but says that this has been a driving force in his songwriting, with an aim to turning the negatives into positives.
I was already expecting some heavy emotion in the track, not in a bad way, but the passion is clear before even listening at this point, so I was intrigued.
It does kick in with a jazzy piano beat, and then has the clever use of police sirens and what I think is a police radio muffling in the background of it, it was a different way of opening the track and not anything I expected, these do return in moments as part of the instrumental throughout the song and I think that’s very clever subliminal messaging, it’s subtle but powerful.
Matt’s vocals do come in fast, but it’s done seamlessly given the amount of elements going on in the track, he has quite a powerful voice and it cuts right through the noise in the background, taking centre-stage, so he’s balanced this perfectly.
As I predicted, there is a lot of relatable and passionate lyrics coming through in the song, it did take me a few listens to pick them up in full form, just because all the other elements can be a bit distracting, but that’s just from a review point of view, not a general listening view.
They speak of living in different experiences and acknowledging different feelings from different scenarios, the lyrics don’t necessarily give the full picture, but enough to feel a relation and have some intrigue, which is quite powerful.
The only criticism I do have, and it’s likely personal preference, some of the instrumentals do go on a bit too long, they’re great for breaking up the verses and allowing lots of different elements, but I’d have liked them a bit shorter, as I felt myself not always switching back onto the vocals, but it’s nothing to do with the skill or actual sound of it, likely my short attention span!
Overall, this is a brilliant track that has been well thought-out, it gives insight without full story with some powerful lyrics, it’s harmonised beautifully and adds a lot of elements that give the song a thought-provoking boost, and generally is an easy listen.
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