I’ve been on a huge indie pop streak this year. I loved MANIA by emo kings Fall Out Boy, but lately I keep returning to Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life by The Wombats and Always Ascending by Franz Ferdinand. My spring playlist consists of Bad Suns and Smallpools, but nowhere to be found was anything from the Brooklyn duo Matt and Kim. That may have been because they haven’t released any music since 2016 and simply fell off my radar. The real reason is that I’ve never listened to anything but their 2009 single “Daylight.” Sorry, Matt and Kim.

I don’t know what it is lately but all the albums being released seem to be about death and loss and how generally bad the world is to live in these days. While these things are all inevitable and true, Matt and Kim took the opportunity to lighten the mood with their latest album Almost Everyday. Okay, the songs are still sad but at least there’s some synth as a distraction. We’re all having a hard time with trying to find the silver lining in society, and Matt and Kim express it this way in the first single, “Forever”: “Don’t want to live forever / If things stay like this.” Big mood.

The album has a lot of 80s vibes and, if I can make a weird comparison, sounds like those jackets covered in random geometric shapes look. I know that’s vague and doesn’t make much sense, but it has a very cubic feel to me.

“Like I Used to Be” reminisces on how things were when Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino were young. They talk about broken down cars and partying late. He sings, “And yeah, the sails have set / But I’m not dead yet”. This theme continues in the next track, “I’d Rather”, which is one of my favorites. One of things that sets Matt and Kim apart is their recognizable use of piano, and it’s displayed best on this track.

My other favorite track is “Happy If You’re Happy”. I really like the lyricism and tone of it. I just think it’s adorable and can imagine it playing at my wedding. A lot of this album talks about being sure to live a life with aspects worth remembering. They talk a lot about being older and remembering things but they also have a lot of present memories that they talk about, too. They haven’t lost their sense of fun. It’s a nice reminder that growing up doesn’t have to mean growing up. Sure we’ll have bills and funerals and a lot of “adult” things to do, but we can also make memories that don’t involve the mundane. We can still have adventures.

Almost Everyday isn’t my favorite album. I don’t think it’s my style. I’m sure it will resonate with some people, but I don’t think this will be one I’ll play regularly. I think the synth is a little bit overdone for my taste. It sounds almost industrial at times, which is a cool effect, but it’s used too much and kind of makes up for the fact that it isn’t very lyrically exciting. All of the songs touch on the same themes and while that usually makes for a cohesive album, the way Matt and Kim went about it just makes it redundant. That being said, it’s still well produced and has some gems that may end up on a playlist.

3/5

by Nadia Paiva

Nadia Paiva has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.