Dealing with anxiety while trying to get some perspective, MATT MALTESE is back with a new standalone single, 'The Earth Is A Very Small Dot'. Check out the latest cover story for our New Music Friday playlist edit, The Cut.
Words: Sam Taylor.
London songwriter Matt Maltese is a man with his fingers in many musical pies. This year has not only seen him release an album of his own ('Driving Just To Drive') but launch a new record label, Last Recordings On Earth, in association with Communions Records. Plus, he's just dropped a new standalone single, 'The Earth Is A Very Small Dot'. A song about dealing with anxiety and trying to get perspective ("the world is a small speck and we're even smaller specks on it"), it's no wonder he's got some thoughts on the subject when he's so many projects on the go.
Hi Matt! How's it going? What are you up to today, anything fun?
Hello, it's going well, thank you. What am I up to today? I'm answering these questions, and then I have a writing session where I'll be writing a song for someone else. Currently sat here doing emails. A lot of this life is emails, as we all know.
Hello, it's going well, thank you. What am I up to today? I'm answering these questions, and then I have a writing session where I'll be writing a song for someone else. Currently sat here doing emails. A lot of this life is emails, as we all know.
You've been busy since your last album - you launched a record label, right? How did that come about?
Yeah, I launched a record label. The whole process has been very incredible. I was approached by Communion Records and this really wonderful person there called Jamie, who runs the company, and he sort of put it to me - I'm very aware of what So Young Records have done, and Lucy Rose, and it sounded like the perfect time for it with a label that already have established sublabels with artists. It all came to life, and it still is a little bit crazy to be running a record label, but still the utmost privilege and, in a way, so much of what I never dreamed could happen. It means a lot to me.
Yeah, I launched a record label. The whole process has been very incredible. I was approached by Communion Records and this really wonderful person there called Jamie, who runs the company, and he sort of put it to me - I'm very aware of what So Young Records have done, and Lucy Rose, and it sounded like the perfect time for it with a label that already have established sublabels with artists. It all came to life, and it still is a little bit crazy to be running a record label, but still the utmost privilege and, in a way, so much of what I never dreamed could happen. It means a lot to me.
How's it going? Was there much of a learning curve?
It's going well; it's definitely been a learning curve. It's a different hat to wear and a lot more responsibility. When you're an artist or a writer, you're only really responsible for yourself a lot of the time, and then when you become a part of other artists careers, and your actions can change where their careers go, that is an incredible amount of responsibility and something you can only treat with a lot of respect. It's been a wonderful space for change in my life. I feel evermore like an adult. It's just been incredible, and working with artists like Searows has been the dream.
It's going well; it's definitely been a learning curve. It's a different hat to wear and a lot more responsibility. When you're an artist or a writer, you're only really responsible for yourself a lot of the time, and then when you become a part of other artists careers, and your actions can change where their careers go, that is an incredible amount of responsibility and something you can only treat with a lot of respect. It's been a wonderful space for change in my life. I feel evermore like an adult. It's just been incredible, and working with artists like Searows has been the dream.
"Just being human is being someone who worries"
— Matt Maltese
Do you have anything coming up there?
Searows have an EP coming out in November, and it's just been such a joy to be a part of it coming to life. It's really, really stunning.
Searows have an EP coming out in November, and it's just been such a joy to be a part of it coming to life. It's really, really stunning.
You've also just dropped your own single, of course, 'The Earth Is A Very Small Dot'. You've said it's about worrying and getting perspective - what sort of things do you worry about?
I guess what everyone else does. Money, family, relationships, friendships, the world. I think that we're in a bit of a perma-crisis state as a planet, and that is just a lot to wrap your head around continuously, and it's not just the big problems that are really overwhelming; it's also all the small problems that we have which are all exacerbated by the bigger problems. Just being human is being someone who worries. But I'm also incredibly lucky in a lot of ways, and I think that I work hard to keep perspective and stay calmer through all of said worries, which I think is what we're all trying to do.
I guess what everyone else does. Money, family, relationships, friendships, the world. I think that we're in a bit of a perma-crisis state as a planet, and that is just a lot to wrap your head around continuously, and it's not just the big problems that are really overwhelming; it's also all the small problems that we have which are all exacerbated by the bigger problems. Just being human is being someone who worries. But I'm also incredibly lucky in a lot of ways, and I think that I work hard to keep perspective and stay calmer through all of said worries, which I think is what we're all trying to do.
Do you have any tips or tricks for overcoming anxiety?
Yeah, there are very boring things which I do to temper worry and anxiety in my life. It's so boring, but exercising, going for a run or even just a long, long walk. Getting time in the morning is quite a big thing for me. Waking up earlier than you're meant to and just getting some time that's yours, and you can choose what you do with it. I personally don't really drink that much; that's helped those things a lot, and just thinking about other people really helps. Thinking about yourself less is a really good way of being less anxious because we haven't got here by thinking just about ourselves. I think the really good parts of this planet have been made by people thinking about others - I think that's a path to a lot more fulfilment in your life.
Yeah, there are very boring things which I do to temper worry and anxiety in my life. It's so boring, but exercising, going for a run or even just a long, long walk. Getting time in the morning is quite a big thing for me. Waking up earlier than you're meant to and just getting some time that's yours, and you can choose what you do with it. I personally don't really drink that much; that's helped those things a lot, and just thinking about other people really helps. Thinking about yourself less is a really good way of being less anxious because we haven't got here by thinking just about ourselves. I think the really good parts of this planet have been made by people thinking about others - I think that's a path to a lot more fulfilment in your life.
Was the song from the same sessions as your album, or is it completely new? Do you have many new songs in the works?
This song was completely new; it was something I'd just written at the beginning of this year. I took so much joy in producing it myself, and that's something I haven't done for a little while and was something I was missing a bit. It kinda felt like I could save it for something, but I just felt an urge to put it out at this point in my life with the things happening around me and the time of year. There's such a lovely part of making music, which is the privilege of putting things out and not having to wait years for them to come out. I had that opportunity, and I just wanted to go with it, and here we are. And yes, I do have new songs in the works. Not always necessarily the right batch yet, but always trying to make something.
This song was completely new; it was something I'd just written at the beginning of this year. I took so much joy in producing it myself, and that's something I haven't done for a little while and was something I was missing a bit. It kinda felt like I could save it for something, but I just felt an urge to put it out at this point in my life with the things happening around me and the time of year. There's such a lovely part of making music, which is the privilege of putting things out and not having to wait years for them to come out. I had that opportunity, and I just wanted to go with it, and here we are. And yes, I do have new songs in the works. Not always necessarily the right batch yet, but always trying to make something.
Is there anything else we should know?
I don't think so! There might be something unexpected next year… (That's very ominous, but it's not ominous. It's nice.) ■
I don't think so! There might be something unexpected next year… (That's very ominous, but it's not ominous. It's nice.) ■
