Kalle Mattson: Kids On The Run
The Ontario singer/songwriter releases a new record, Youth, on Sept. 7. It is described as a coming-of-age album, as evidenced by this advance cut. Producer/co-writer Colin Munroe adds contemporary touches, while the sweet melodicism of Mattson's boyish vocals remains to the fore.
By Kerry Doole
Kalle Mattson - "Kids On The Run" (Indie): The Polaris-longlisted singer/songwriter has a new album, Youth, coming out on Sept. 7, and this advance cut sets the scene nicely.
Youth is described as a "coming-of-age" album, one on which Mattson explores his upbringing in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. His bio notes that Mattson "credits 'the Soo' with giving him ambition—to get the heck out of there. He wanted to write about his friends who are still there, and about his generation who are now between adolescence and adulthood."
Mattson elaborates on the theme, explaining that “It’s about when dreams become regrets, all your friends become strangers when you don’t have something binding everyone together, like school. I thought about coming-of-age movies and novels, and couldn’t think of many coming-of-age albums.”
Not wanting to be pigeonholed as another guitar-strumming folkie (his website is folkisdead.com!), he collaborated with producer/co-writer Colin Munroe (Drake, Sky Ferreira ) on this and other new tracks, using keyboards and drum machines to impart a more contemporary feel. The core instrument, however, remains Mattson's sweetly melodic and boyish voice, and it is showcased neatly here.
One superb recent Canadian 'coming-of-age' album was Oh Susanna's A Girl In Teen City, and we have equally high hopes for this one.
Mattson has a 21-date Canadian tour in the fall, beginning at Winnipeg's Park Theatre on Sept. 19 and closing out at North Bay's Les Compagnons on Nov. 24
Links
Publicity: Ken Beattie, Killbeat Music
Aya NakamuraMarion Gomez/Billboard France