Fitting that this blog should return from a seemingly endless slumber with a Lazarean video from none other than Matt Pond PA. "Halloween 2" is a sonic if not lyrical successor to the 2005 prequel single from the 2005 album Several Arrows Later. Lyrics steeped in horror movie tropes highlight this duet with Virginia-born singer-songwriter Alexa Rose.
Punk-like in duration if not intensity, "Halloween 2" is both familiar and fresh. Steeped in gorgeous chamber pop sounds that wouldn't sound out of place on classic albums like The Green Fury or The Nature of Maps, the lyrics reflect the vulnerability for which Pond is known, tempered with what seems like a greater sense of self-awareness. Dare I say, it sounds like the work of a man who knows himself better, has stripped away the pretense and posturing of youth, and figured out how to be happy? It seems that Pond's marriage to Anya Marina is a harbinger of happier things to come.
After years of debate (Will he or won't he quit music?), struggles with his former record label, a diversion into the outfit The Natural Lines, it seems that Matt Pond PA is back(-ish). A full EP is on the horizon at a yet-to-be-determined date. And I have to say, I am here for it.
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