Nashville’s own Matthew McCloskey takes his creations to a new level with his hit “All By Myself”. The indie-pop singer/songwriter was raised in the suburbs of Detroit until he realized that people around him were stuck in dead-end jobs and he wanted to excel in his music career. After performing as the frontman of rock group Aivry, he packed his bags and moved to Nashville where he’s since performed with #1 songwriters like Craig Morgan and Jimmy Payne and has been featured on a variety of networks. His latest hit “All By Myself” off his EP 'The Road Out of Nowhere' is sure to tug at your heartstrings.
The track begins with serene piano chords and delicate melodies, while Matthew McCloskey’s soothing and clear vocals bring a bright light. With personal and emotional lyrics, the song brings forward deep feelings that are difficult to be spoken about. His vulnerable lyric writing lets the listener connect easily with his messages, and creates an incredibly authentic narrative for himself. With a subtle drum pattern backing up the piano and his vocals around the second verse. Including lyrics like “You’re always telling me what to do, to make the grass green and paint the sky blue”, Matthew McCloskey has created a beautiful song ready to move you.
Listen to "All By Myself" here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Matthew McCloskey! We are incredibly excited to feature your hit “All By Myself”. Where did you find inspiration to write such a moving song?
The inspiration behind this song comes from a story my dad likes to tell from when I was a kid. We had stopped to get gasoline at a station and he had gone inside to get a bottle of water or something. From the back seat, I could see that the keys were still in the ignition and that the car was still running. In my infinite 8-year-old wisdom, I thought, "Hmmm, pedals and a steering wheel. How hard could it be?" I climbed into the front seat and, reaching my foot down, pressed the gas pedal. Luckily, the car was in the park and I had no concept of gear shifting. Nonetheless, when my dad came walking out of the store and heard his Ford Taurus roar unexpectedly, he was understandably irate. I got grounded for that one.
Your sound is incredibly hypnotizing and melodic, who were some major musical influences in your life?
Geez, where to begin?... some of the biggest ones are Billy Joel, The Mighty Mighty BossTones, Spoon, Steely Dan, Ben Folds, Switchfoot, Death Cab for Cutie and The Eagles. But I love all kinds of music; if something is written well, I can get down to it. I was just listening to the song Riser by Dierks Bently the other day and loving how well that one was written (ps - Travis Meadows did that one and he's a badass). Even songs like Irreplaceable by Beyonce still get me fired up (PPS - don't play that song if you're ever out drinking with me, I will sing every word at the top of my lungs).
You have a great ability to channel your thoughts to lyrics and music, could you share what helps your songwriting process?
From a lyrical perspective, drawing from life experience really helps a ton. It doesn't necessarily have to be my life experience; on the contrary, I find myself taking a way more empathetic approach to writing lyrics if I'm writing about what someone else has been through. That's ultimately why I got into music in the first place; because I had a deep emotional connection to it. It felt like the songs I loved were saying "Hey, I've been there too. I get it. You are not alone." Delivering that feeling to others is my goal when I write. Honestly, I consider myself a journalist who just happens to songwriter.
From a musical perspective, I find that writing comes to a lot easier if I start with building blocks from songs I really love. Facing a blank page or my piano and trying to force creativity out of nowhere oftentimes puts a lot of pressure on me; pressure which typically makes the results less than great. If I start with a progression from a song I really like, that gives me something to build with.... I then make sure to ask, "How can I make this my own?" Doing that makes sure that the piece I borrowed goes through twists and turns as I shape the song into its own thing.
Your track "All By Myself" brings incredibly personal messages that let any listener easily relate. Why do you think the song has made this impact?
All By Myself started as a question of "What would have happened if the car wasn't in the park? How far would I have gotten before I crashed?" As I worked on the song, it became this metaphor for how we can try to take on too much (for fear of appearing vulnerable, helpless... even childlike) and how this can get us in over our heads. In those times, denying where we continue to make the problem worse; it's only when we can step back, take an honest assessment of where we are and say, "I can't do this on my own. I need your help. I can't do this all by myself." That sentiment became the core of the song and I think the main reason it resonates with so many people is that we've all been there.
What can we expect to see from you throughout 2020?
Music. Music. Music. I've been writing a bunch lately and have some exciting new tunes to release. I've been working with producer Jonah Jenkins here in Nashville to incorporate some contemporary instrumentation and percussion in with my singer-songwriter sound and the results have been really exciting. I can't wait to share em with you.