"Back To Myself Again" by Matt Brasch | Released This Week

"Back to myself again" by Matt Brasch released this week. 

LANSDALE PA>  If you haven't heard by now, Matt Brasch (from Lansdale's Cold Climb It band and The Wonder Years) recently released a solo song called "Back to myself again".  A song everyone can relate to. 

I texted Matt the other day after listening to his new release a few times and congratulated him. We began discussing live music and how life isn't normal without live shows, but for most of us, WE MISS live LOCAL shows.  So, I asked Matt to share his thoughts and give an update from a musicians side of life. Here's what he had to say:

2020 began. We clinked glasses and celebrated the start of a new decade that held lots of hope and promise. The Wonder Years had a full schedule or touring planned throughout the year in celebration of the release of Burst & Decay II as well as the 10 year anniversary of our album, The Upsides. Coming off of a slower year of touring in 2019, we were all very excited to hit the ground running in 2020. 

We started the first tour of the year in late February and it began as one the best tours we had done in years. All of the shows were going much better than we could have ever hoped for and we were having the time of our lives. At least we were until March 13th. That was the date COVID-19 forced us into playing what would be the last show of the tour even though it wasn't scheduled to end until March 21st. 

When I came home, March dragged into April. Time in May moved even slower. I watched more TV than I care to admit, I rarely changed out of sweatpants, and I started sleeping in later as days went by. I was falling into a depression. 

At this point, Matt decided, it was time to do something. 

He stated: "The only way to break out of the darkness I was feeling was to keep my mind busy and fully submerse myself into something that made me happy".  

In a normal year I would spend most of my free time working on songs for my bands or recording other bands, but this was put on hold due to the pandemic. Writing and recording a song on my own seemed like the closest alternative I could find. I figured I'd give it a shot. 

In a night of writing lyrics, (lyrics like: "It takes me to my hell where I was trapped for years held victim to my fears") testing out melodies, and fumbling through chord progressions, the skeleton of "Back to Myself" was written. The excitement of how fast it all came together got me so excited to keep working. 

Over the next two days I finalized the arrangement and recorded the song. 

Though the lyrics of the song were loosely pulled from fictional events, I later realized that I was subconsciously writing more about myself than anyone else. In some ways I was the person I needed to get back to. I needed to cleanse myself of the depression and self doubt. I needed to get back o the person that I loved and so badly wanted to be again. 

The process of writing and recording "Back to Myself Again" got me excited to be creative again. It helped me give purpose and shifted my outlook for the better in this difficult time.  Since finishing this song I have spent more tie writing music than ever before and have written 30+ songs. It has kept me happy and sane and I plan to keep the momentum going. 

Thank you Matt for taking the time to do this with us at Lansdale Tourism. 

Article by Erik Sacony