As you grow up and get older, the things you’ve seen start to show a different side of themselves, a new light cast by new experiences. It’s this never-ending pondering on the themes of life, relationships with family and the presence of yourself, and sometimes they become so thick and heavy one needs to get them out of their system. So when some people write them into their personal diaries or draw a visualization of those things, Matt Jarrett has chosen music to be his medium of self expression. 
Matt, writing music under the pseudonym A Starving Viking, creates homely music which he calls “indie-garage folk”. It’s a very good description – the expressive, lively and melodic instrumentation holds a little bit frayed edge like a well-worn favourite hat, and joins his vocals that speak what’s on his mind, creating captivating slice of life kind of music. There’s also lightness in his sound so even when the source of his lyrics lies in negative thoughts, his music holds a bright sound as if it’s telling the bad will not stay.
“I like to call my sound “garage-folk.” I’m primarily a guy and an acoustic guitar, yet a little rough around the edges to be considered classic folk, and try to use lyrics to make sense of whatever’s going on in my head.”
A Starving Viking
So when it comes to negative thoughts, his newest work “The Milksop EP” was born as a way of putting those intrusive inner monologues back in their place. Home to three songs, the EP keeps a cozy lovely sound reminiscent of your familiar surroundings. At the same time it leads a story of an internal discourse that’s running atop the energy of percussion, sometimes going quiet and then raising its head again. There’s a beautiful contrast cast between the contemplative nature of lyrics and the flowing melodies, making the songs even more close to the soul. “Morality Play” shines with this particular contrast, and the whole EP is carried by that lovely stable energy.
“These 3 songs were written/recorded in a sort of hut in my garage that I built out of plywood and U-Haul moving blankets. It was a few months into the pandemic/lock down and everything was just weird. I was working from home and a bit stir crazy and these songs came about from some negative self-talk. I figured a good way to get out of my own head was to write songs about those internal conversations. Make them public, and move on.”
A Starving Viking
“The Milksop” is the second release for A Starving Viking, continuing the artist’s soft signature sound. Highly recommended for all people loving the cozy sound of folk with that beautiful soulful edge.
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You can obviously find it in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Indie Only, Alterindie State Of Mind, Chill – Folk – Acoustic, and 12 New Songs This Week.
P.S. If you enjoy discovering new artists and fresh new music you can subscribe to this blog Less Than 1,000 Followers and follow the Playlist with all the artists that we have presented here!!!
This coverage was created via MusoSoup #Sustainablecurator
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