Was it just a matter of circumstance during the pandemic that allowed the time for you two to collaborate again, or was Strays Don’t Sleep always sort of on the backburner? In the meantime, you’ve been busy writing and releasing your music while Neilson has been busy producing. In an email interview, I asked Matthew Ryan about teaming up with his old partner again, the ep and the work he’s been doing with the Western States Center.ĪnaLee: A Short Film for A Long Story is out this week and I guess it has been sort of a long story for Strays Don’t Sleep, the duo you and Neilson Hubbard formed over fifteen years ago. The two have reconvened for a lush, yet minimalist approach to the four songs on this ep. After releasing their self-titled debut in 2005, their individual careers took off in different directions – singer-songwriter Ryan releasing twelve albums over fourteen years while Hubbard was becoming one of Nashville’s most sought after producers. Leave your two cents in the comments.Strays Don’t Sleep is an ambient folk collaboration between Matthew Ryan and Neilson Hubbard, A Short Film for A Long Story, out October 30th, is the duo’s first new music in fifteen years. And A Short Film for a Long Story comes with some wonderful healing music for our tortured souls too.Ī Short Film for a Long Story is available on Bandcamp. We can choose to love ourselves and each other.” Ultimately we have the power to walk away from self-destruction. Or as Hubbard puts it:”I feel at the heart of this EP there is a story about looking in the mirror to find the way out. Modern living has told us we are participating in a story that we don’t have control over, that we must believe certain things to find our value and belonging. And their reunion has created beautiful music of reconciliation and hopefulness during our current era of despair. Music seems to have the power to heal old wounds. These events compelled the two men to record and release this vital music on A Short Film for a Long Story.įinally, Hubbard and Ryan indicate they do not plan to wait fifteen more years to work together. And then came the strange world circumstances, such as the coronavirus pandemic and U.S. But maturity and wisdom helped bring them back together when they wrote these songs in October 2019. Ryan has explained that there was a foolish and youthful divide that emerged between the two. Speaking of reunion, listeners may wonder why there was a 15-year hiatus from Strays Don’t Sleep music when the duo still had such wonderful music to share. Even though Strays Don’t Sleep may have intended to track a divide and reunion, I found my own connection to the music for my current moment. And finally with the last two songs, I heard the hope for a future of finding a new life and love. Then, through the instrumental “A Woman Running,” I heard escape. In the music, I heard my friend’s situation through the first song recounting a person losing themselves in a bad situation. I found comfort and hope through the trajectory of A Short Film for a Long Story. For example, while listening to this EP on repeat play the last few weeks, I have been worrying about a friend in an emotionally abusive relationship and these songs brought comfort. One of the reasons I love great music is that it can speak to listeners in different ways, even though the artist may not have intended those interpretations. At its heart, though, “I Walked Away” leaves open room for hope. Ryan’s weary voice on lead vocals in “I Walked Away” highlight the plea of the singer being so close to the edge that he might never return. himself, and how losing that battle affects others.” Ryan has also said the song is about “the dangers of being an asshole.” More specifically, Ryan and Hubbard explain that the opening song “I Walked Away” is about reclamation: “It’s a song about man vs. The new four-song EP features what Ryan’s website calls the pair’s “own brand of earthy, cinematic indie-folk.” Ryan and Hubbard envision the music as a soundtrack to a montage featured in an art film, steeped in themes of “perseverance, reclamation, and an embracement of the joys of being alive.”įrom my listening, Ryan and Hubbard seem to use the EP format to track a relationship through troubles and reunion. Ryan continues creating engaging music as a solo singer-songwriter, while Hubbard became a successful Nashville producer. Since the release of their self-titled Strays Don’t Sleep debut, Ryan and Hubbard have gone in different directions. The wonderful four songs on the EP complete a story arc through an atmospheric soundtrack of hope for troubled people in troubled times. Matthew Ryan and Neilson Hubbard, who released a self-titled album together as Strays Don’t Sleep in 2005, have reunited for the EP entitled A Short Film for a Long Story.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |