Album: Outta’ Time by Matthew S. Horner

‘Outta Time’ is the debut release from US pop-punk rocker Matthew S Horner, which he wrote to be a testament to his feelings towards his “time ending” and his struggles with life, as well as his appreciation for nostalgic bands that we all love and enjoy such as The Cure. The album spans eight tracks, which I had the pleasure of coming across and enjoying and which I’ll be dissecting for you now. 

The first track, Comatose, begins with a very bluesy and nostalgic melody and some occasional key/synth sounds that helped channel and connect the old Cure-inspired post-punk elements with the modern pop-punk ones. I really love the blend of ideas here. The second track, Tailspin, has some robotic/talkbox sections that add so much to the feeling of desperation Matther is singing about. The bass and drum lines make this song a percussive and catchy piece that will remind you of the 90s-early 2000s. There is a cool guitar refrain that will stick in your head just as much as the chorus, it’s rare nowadays to find a song where every section is catchy and memorable like this.

Inside Out uses the talkbox-like effect on the vocals once again, and Matthew is singing with nasality and twang while beautifully harmonizing with the guitar melodies. Speaking of the guitar melodies, I didn’t expect to find this many lead lines from this album and I was awaiting more chord progressions and stereotypical pop-punk…but Matthew proves how awesome of a songwriter he is on this track. Embers has a campfire sound and some effects that make it feel like you are actually listening to it in that beautiful outdoor setting. The guitars, strings, and vocals are all yearning and emotionally playing together without any drums or percussion whatsoever…a choice that made this track feel like it was taken out of a movie soundtrack. It’s ultimately my favorite track on the whole record.

Hearts Remember has an 80s pop and synthpop feeling to it thanks to the thumping bassline, melodic clean guitars, the keys, and most importantly, the big and catchy chorus that I really loved. This is also one of the songs I thoroughly enjoyed and felt was remarkable among the rest of the album. Little Buddy is another acoustic ballad, and it’s clearly a tribute to Matthew’s kid. It already had me in tears with the lyrics and vocals, but when the solo, bridge, and last chorus began, I was in a flood of tears and had total goosebumps…this is one of the most emotionally honest and touching songs I have ever listened to.

Scars Like Badges is a song that slowly builds up and utilizes both acoustic and electric guitars to make a sound that ascends from a ballad sound to a 2000s alternative rock piece. I really love how it transformed as we approached its ending. The eighth and final song, A Summer High, begins with some piano and orchestrations that are shortly followed by electric and industrial percussion. The song’s lyrics are reminiscing about times of youth and some beautiful nostalgic memories of the singer, that you can’t help but feel nostalgic with him and enjoy his gorgeous voice techniques and amazing storytelling techniques. 

In conclusion, this album has it all. From Alternative to industrial to 80s to pop-rock, no fan of rock wouldn’t find at least one track they will enjoy on this phenomenal debut. Give it a listen and I assure you that you won’t regret it.