London singer-songwriter Matt Maltese has released his fourth album ‘Driving Just To Drive’ via Nettwerk. ‘Driving Just To Drive’ is the first major body of work from Matt Maltese since his acclaimed third album ‘Good Morning It’s Now Tomorrow’ in 2021. Singles heralding the new album “Museum“, “Mother“, “Florence” and title track “Driving Just To Drive” have also received plaudits from the likes of The Guardian, Notion, Clash, DIY, and landed New Music Friday playlists across 8 territories in Asia on Spotify.
In May, Matt Maltese will embark on his debut Asia tour, which will see the singer perform in 5 different major cities across Asia.
Matt Maltese Asia Tour 2023
21 May | Legacy, Taipei
22 May | Samsung Hall, Manila
24 May | UCC Theatre, Singapore
26 May | Union Hall, Bangkok
28 May | Seoul Jazz Festival, Seoul
Matt has swept up half a billion streams across all platforms, taking the world by storm with his viral hit “As The World Caves In”, and currently has over 6.5 million monthly listeners. Matt’s audience also continues to grow on social media with over 500,000 followers now on TikTok where global superstars like Doja Cat and BTS’ Kim Taehyung have become firm fans – the former even hosted an Instagram Live singalong of “Curl Up And Die”.
Frank Ocean has also featured Matt’s single “Rom-Com Gone Wrong” on his Blonded Radio. Matt is credited as a songwriter on Jamie T’s 2022 #1 record All In Good Time, with Jamie naming him one of the UK’s best young songwriters in multiple press interviews around the album’s release. Matt has also recently co-written music with Joy Crookes and Celeste for their new records.
‘Driving Just To Drive’ finds Matt at his most open, and settled, embracing new sounds but returning to the most organic version of himself he knows. He’s always wanted to find a way to make people laugh, but finds ways here to charm while somewhat letting his guard down. The result is something bittersweet and deeply, authentically emotional. It’s no surprise that he’s making waves across Asia in streaming markets worldwide, including Indonesia, India, Malaysia and the Philippines ranking in his top 10.
“When I was younger, I was über earnest – when I was 18 and got my heart broken, I lost this ego thing in me, and it brought back earnestness in a way,” Matt says of the governing emotions that guided him to a level of pure nostalgia and romanticism that elevates this album into a more powerful, sincere plane than ever. “I’d pushed that earnestness away as I felt self-conscious, but as time goes on, there’s no time anymore for self-deprecation. I think the way I lived my life before 2021 was all thinking. I now try to think less, and be less precious with what I write.”
The album’s lush, almost cinematic sound in part comes from Matt working with a producer for the first time in a while – a first-time producer at that, in Josh Scarbrow. It was only after thriving in a songwriting space, collaborating with Joy Crookes, Celeste, Etta Marcus and more, that Matt better realised how he wanted to write for himself.
“I’m bad at letting go to make someone else help me, but I’ve got better. Sharing those moments in real life with another person is just really nice. Josh hadn’t made an album before which I loved, and also working with someone my age ended up being really important.”
Driving Just To Drive’ Tracklisting
- Mother
- Irony Would Have It
- Florence
- Mortician
- Museum
- Widows
- Coward
- Driving Just to Drive
- Hello Black Dog
- Suspend Your Disbelief
- But Leaving Is
Stream the album ‘Driving Just To Drive’
