There are few artists as impossible to dislike as Matt & Kim, and their latest album, Sidewalks<\/i>, is another entry into their eminently good-natured, glossy, and danceable catalog of pop-punk. Not a lot has changed from their previous releases, Grand <\/i>and Matt & Kim,<\/i> but why mess with a good thing? Husband-wife duo Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino is endlessly pumped up and cheerful, and at the heart of all these songs is genuine goodwill. This isn\u2019t snarling, devil-may-care punk, but jubilant tunes centered on thick swaths of synthesizers and a restless, joyous energy. They\u2019ve moved steadily towards a poppier sound with each subsequent release, toning down the rawness and expanding their songs past two minutes of explosive emotion, but not to the extent that they ever alienate their diehard fans. And perhaps that\u2019s because the essential spirit of Matt & Kim is always retained, along with the sense that this duo just loves what they\u2019re doing. <\/p>\n
On Sidewalks, <\/i>the one noticeable change is that the songs are getting thicker and more tricked-out. It\u2019s incredible, at times, to remember that this is just two people jamming: Kim pounding the drums and Matt handling the synths along with his endearingly nerdy, nasal vocals. Take opener \u201cBlock After Block,\u201d which instantly draws you in with its shimmering hooks, hand claps, and tempo changes. It\u2019s so easy to imagine these songs being played live \u2013 and in a way, it\u2019s almost a shame to confine Matt & Kim to disc, since their sound thrives on the rawness and warmth a live show can provide. There\u2019s a cleanness and professionalism to the production on Sidewalks, <\/i>a sense that Matt & Kim is exploring the depths and possibilities of their sound.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s most endearing about the songs here is that this isn\u2019t cheesy, throwaway pop. The songs here are catchy and will inevitably get stuck in your head, but there\u2019s substance to them, too. On lead single \u201cCameras,\u201d Matt sings, \u201cNo time for cameras \/ We\u2019ll use our eyes instead \/ I see flashes of gold\u201d \u2013 simple and poignant, just like when he proclaims \u201cLet\u2019s make love so big \/ Make sure it can\u2019t be missed!\u201d on the ineffable, rollicking \u201cRed Paint.\u201d<\/p>\n
And even when Matt & Kim branch out into longer songs, like on the four-minute \u201cWhere You\u2019re Coming From,\u201d they maintain the same energy, intermixing pulsing blips of synths and choruses that are just begging to be sung along to at a live show. It\u2019s only when they strip away the vigor and inexorable pacing that things go a bit awry, like on \u201cNortheast,\u201d which has a syrupy slow pace, plodding piano, and bells but none of what makes Matt & Kim likeable and listenable. Thankfully, the pace picks right back up with \u201cWires,\u201d a fan favorite that\u2019s been played at live shows for a couple of years before finally making it to an album. Kim\u2019s drum pounding is overlaid with slippery synths, while the song\u2019s refrain \u2013 sung in harmony \u2013 is as resonant as it is catchy: \u201cCut and cross wires, electric fires \/ Reset your clocks and rewrite your thoughts \/ It\u2019s burning down, let\u2019s keep it up \/ Flames they grow strong, the louder the song.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sidewalks <\/i>may have an extra polish to it that Matt & Kim\u2019s previous two releases didn\u2019t, but the heart at the core of this disc is exactly the same. This duo is earnest and passionate, and that comes through in spades in their music. Just try to resist these songs \u2013 they\u2019ve made it as difficult as ever with the sheer enthusiasm that seeps through each and every track on this disc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":30504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[8650],"rating":[5617],"class_list":["post-42168","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-matt-kim","rating-rating-b-plus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42168"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=42168"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=42168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}