Middle Child Syndrome impresses with his diverse and joyful debut album, listen to me.

By Graeme Smith

A project led by Matt Meuller, Middle Child Syndrome is featuring on our pages for the first time through his debut album listen to me.

The album opens with My Dream and we are instantly urged to move along to its lively tempo. A dance-y pop-rock arrangement settles in and accompanies smooth and compelling vocals in the verse before things get even more cantering during a bright and vibrant chorus. It’s an inviting start.

Bonnie & Me follows, slowing things down but keeping things jangly and upbeat. Plucked strings give us a sense of the country before the track takes a surprise brass-y vaudevillian deviation. Wisconsin Bars is rich with Midwestern atmosphere. Slate rounds off the album’s early listening with an acoustic moment that opens slow and quickly becomes rousing. It’s a highlight.

Other highlights include the introspective, piano-led My Walls, the gentle call to action Embrace Each Other, the chant-a-long Find Your Peace, and raucous album closer A Weezer Song. The latter finishes things with a fun tribute to the rock legends of its title.

With his new album, Matt is able to give a diverse range of genre while tethering it all around strong, classic song writing and plenty of world-building. It’s an emotional journey, but the overriding feeling is one of joy and hopefulness. It’s an impressive debut.

Listen to me was written, performed, composed and produced by Matt and was recorded at home with the addition of some vocals. The album is out now and you can check it out below.