The first concert I went to (without parental supervision) was Matt Costa. Actually, to be fair, it was New Pornographers, but I bought a ticket for Bumbershoot in Seattle with the sole intent of seeing Matt Costa live, as I was obsessed with his album Songs We Sing. Once I arrived at Seattle Center, I met up with friends who just happened to be at the New Pornographers show before Costa took to a smaller stage underneath the Space Needle. If you’re all trying to do the math, I was 20 years old and yes…I kid you not, your Editor in Chief had never been to a concert before without his parents accompanying him. My first taste of concert freedom included a Canadian band with a much more scandalous name than their material and a Californian singer/songwriter who performed in a Steve Zissou style beanie. I was some kind of badass.
That California singer/songwriter left a lasting impact on me though. Seriously. The girl I watched his show with friend zoned me a week later, but I remember watching her mesmerized by Costa’s lyrics and melodies. After the set, she said to me “don’t you just wish you could play guitar and write music like that?” and so as any young, naive, hopeless romantic would do, I learned to play guitar and started writing music.
The fling may have been short-lived, but my love for Matt Costa‘s mix bag of Americana music continued on and I even saw him in my hometown of Bellingham, WA the following winter. This time with my Dad…life is weird. Both of those shows will stay with me for as long as I live and it is my belief, that is the highest compliment you can pay an artist.
Fast forward nearly 12 years later and I’ve been to a boatload of concerts (all by myself) and I co-own an eight-year-old music and entertainment magazine, so you can bet that a smile appeared on my face when I saw a brand new music video from Matt Costa in my email inbox. As per usual, Costa is as brilliant as ever. He’s just as comfortable taking on a chillwave sound as he was drawing inspiration from greats such as Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison over a decade ago.
His brand new single is titled “Real Love” and although he only appears briefly towards the end of the video, it is worth the watch for its beautiful lo-fi seaside footage and the sublime music that it features.
Check it out for yourself below! Matt Costa‘s fifth studio album, Santa Rosa Fangs, is available now for purchase and streaming as well.
