wHailing from South Wales, a new solo recording artist but a veteran musician and singer-songwriter Matt Kiano continue navigating through the music scene with his angst-ridden and powerful sophomore single, "Going for a Walk."
Matt Kiano first took the music scene with his debut solo single, "Life is Fair," which captured listeners with his innate vocal and performance similarities to Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. Kiano has spent ample time in various punk rock bands, and he's still a part of the Guilty Rascals, but a solo music career outside of that mold was necessary to broaden his horizons.
Coming on the heels of his debut single, "Life is Fair," Matt Kiano just released an even more personal and cathartic tune with "Going for a Walk." This song tackles similar themes as the debut single but shows us different angles of life's peaks and valleys while attempting to dig your way out of confusion.
Diving into the new single, "Going for a Walk," the song opens with a killer and thick bass line that reeks of grungey alternative. As the dense and mid-tempo drums from Ty Walker begin tapping through our speakers, Matt Kiano begins to emotionally elaborate on feeling like he's out of time and how there's a target on the back of his head.
This song slowly escalates in power and might, blasting us with a vibrant and rich punk-rock hook to wash listeners with an anthemic and chant-worthy experience. We appreciate how Matt Kiano goes back and forth from such bright hooks into ominous and haunting verses where the deep bass lick stands out like a sore thumb. He takes us around the hook one last time to fuel us with sensations of release while moving onward and upward.
Feel the magnetic pull of Matt Kiano's powerful and piercing sophomore single, "Going for a Walk," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Matt Kiano. You've honestly bulldozed us with your emotional and powerful new single, "Going for a Walk." What inspired this anthemic and personal piece?
Thank you. I think I’m gonna hit you guys up whenever I’m having a bad day. I never really know what I’m writing about until the song is near completion if I’m honest. It’s only when I look back at the near-completed piece that I kind of realize what I’m saying. It’s like, a subconscious thing I suppose. I’ve been listening to a lot of Violent Femmes and Oliver Tree lately and I’m always fascinated by songs that don’t really follow a structure and I like to think that I’m smart enough to do similar. I take a lot of inspiration from whatever I’m listening to at that time and place.
How does "Going for a Walk" continue the story within your debut single, "Life is Fair?" How do these two songs relate to each other?
I know it sounds crazy. That they relate in any way shape or form but to me, they’re both about life – just different aspects. ‘Life is Fair’ is a reflective song, somebody looking back on their life and remembering that one person who pushed them off their bike when they were younger. ‘Going For A Walk’ is about creating and giving birth to whoever or whatever Matt Kiano is. It starts from the perspective of somebody who isn’t Matt Kiano and ends from the perspective of Matt Kiano.
Did you work alongside any producers or musicians when creating the instrumentals for "Going for a Walk?" What sort of vibe and atmosphere did you want to give the song?
It was recorded in the same place I record all my songs, Unit 13 in Tredegar. It’s a great little spot and the boys down there, Sam and Aled really know what they’re doing. But in terms of the instrumentals, I like to write everything before going to the studio. I like spending as little time as possible in the studio, I like to be as efficient as possible. Just in and out. So I created a rough demo, then I sent it to my drummer boy, Ty Walker who once again did not fail to impress me. Then once I had everything down, I essentially head into Unit 13 and recreate my rough demo. For the vibe and atmosphere, I knew I wanted to steer away from the bounciness and lightness of, ‘Life is Fair.’ I wanted something a little moodier but not depressing. I ain’t got time to listen to music to feel sad.
You really do sound like Billie Joe Armstong. Do you feel this gives you an advantage? Or is it challenging to set yourself apart from him and Green Day?
At this point, I think it’s only a matter of time before Billie Joe Armstrong has to cancel a tour because he’s sick and I get a call. I’ve heard it my whole (semi) professional music career, at least one person at a gig will tell me. It’s fine though, he’s a great singer and a massive talent. I think it’s because Green Day was the first band I was obsessed with. Like, I’d fall asleep nearly every night watching ‘Bullet in a Bible.' I love them. I learned how to sing and play guitar whilst listening to their songs. It’s not so bad in my solo music because the music is different from Green Day but in my band, ‘Guilty Rascals’ we’re a bit more punk rock and it’s very easy to just go, “oh this must be a B side Green Day song”. But if anybody knows Mike Dirnt or Tre Cool’s phone number and Billie Joe starts playing up – hit me up.
What's next for you?
Next up for me is trying to get this song out there as much as I can before falling into hibernation for a few months and then doing it all again.
