Another Look: Matt and the Watt Gives, ‘Matt and the Watt Gives’

Dive into the solo full-length from The Features’ frontman, catch him in person June 28

In the fall, longtime local music fans had reason to rejoice with respect to the single “Cutting Ties,” the first new music in a long time from Matt Pelham, frontman of Middle Tennessee rock heroes The Features. Setting aside the posthumous release of The Mahaffey Sessions 1999, Pelham has been relatively quiet since The Features amicably dissolved in 2016, following a two-decade roller-coaster ride through the music biz. Released June 13 via YK Records, the self-titled album from Pelham’s new solo project Matt and the Watt Gives looks back on that time and what the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has been occupied with — things referred to in the liner notes by daughter Edith Pelham, who also illustrated the cover of the LP, as “a large variety of grown-up junk.”

The record brings the same thoughtfulness and ass-kicking degree of rock that Features fans have come to expect, though with its own flavor. Indulge me briefly and meander into a maze of references: It feels a bit more like Dr. Dog than Split Enz, but there’s still a Kinks-y tinge that I’ve heard, or at least imagined I’ve heard, in a lot of Pelham’s work over the years. Put another way, key elements include biting and howling guitars, sweet melodies on piano — and sax, and melodica — and athletic drums, performed on some tracks by Features and Soccer Mommy timekeeper Rollum Haas and on others by Justin Neely or Joshua Moore (a member of The Features’ Spongebath Records labelmates The Katies).

“Cutting Ties” is Pelham’s look at the damage done when we retreat into echo chambers on social media. “The Chemo Blues” is his honest response to the questions asked of him — well-meaning, if ad nauseam — about his harrowing experiences with cancer. “Half the Fight” is an apology to anyone he’s been rude to, and it’s one song among several that reflect on living in ways that you can do with more clarity if you’ve recently been face-to-face with your mortality. Closer “For Every Dream” sums up Pelham’s gratitude for his time on the planet succinctly: “I wouldn’t change a single thing / Well, maybe a few / For every dream that slipped away / Another dream came true.” Here’s hoping there’s lots more to come from him.

Grab a copy of Matt and the Watt Gives via the Bandcamp embed and find it on your favorite streaming service. Check out his website and follow the project on Instagram for updates. Pelham and his band will celebrate the release with a show on June 28 at Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co. in East Nashville.