“The Illusion“, the new single by singer-songwriter Matt Larabie, hails from his new debut EP Wierdo. As in other tracks of the EP, it is a mixture of 70’s era songwriters alongside those of contemporary solo artists approached by more modern production methods. In this way, the Ontario based singer-songwriter offers a new take on an era and makes it new again, offering a very unique sound that is sure to attract the attention of many.
Larabie’s sound is heavily inspired by the 70’s. He wants the listener to feel as if they have travelled in time. The instrumentation of “The Illusion” clearly marks this intention. Guitars, synths, pianos, organs and vocals, recall to those of Paul Simon, The Fruit Bats, The Beach Boys and The Travelling Wilburs. Larabie’s double harmonized vocals cast to mind those of McCartney and Lennon during The Beatles as well as those of The Eagles. They offer a sense of density to the track. However, Larabie inserts subtle twists that, in a way, deviate and actualize the sound while at the same mantaining the single’s roots. For example, the song’s structure is different. Some parts, such as the prechorus, have a more complex structre and chord progression that make the single more surprising and unexpected. The melody carries within itself a feeling of comfortable strangeness that is characteristic and goes beyond of those of Larabie’s inspirations.
“My ears are stuck in the ’70s, so I believe my music can’t help but have those qualities.” Matt Larabie
Lyrically speaking, “The Illusion” about dreams, the future and how, as the title suggests, they are illusions that everyone can make real. It is a self-reflection of who we are today and who we want to be in the future, of “doing the best with what we have” and “attempting to live life on life’s terms”, as Matt Larabie says with his own words. It is a single that invites its listener to become aware of who we are, where we are and who we can strive to become. Larabie incites us to live as we want to live and not by how we are expected to. This mentality is tied to Larabie’s own approach to songwriting: he takes his inspirations as the foundation to create his own sound. In a way, he appropiates them and transforms them into something that maintain their retro roots but also sounds as something completely new and personal.
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