If you liked the latter day The Get Up Kids material then you will love Matt Pryor‘s solo stuff. As the main singer in TGUK his vocal style and delivery shines through on ‘Confidence Man’, so mix in the sounds of ‘Guilt Show’ and ‘On A Wire’, slightly stripped down that is, and you’re onto a winner.
There are a lot of strong songs on this record. Even though most feature Matt and his guitar you will find yourself singing along very, very quickly. ‘A Totally New Year’ is an exceptional start, while ‘Still There’s A Light’ and ‘We’ll Be Fine’ set up a very strong first half of the record. Matt is arguably at his best when he’s at his most fragile and the tender ‘Dear Lover’ is another standout track. It reminds me a little bit of a less produced ‘I’ll Catch You’ in it’s sentiment.
If you’re missing The Get Up Kids half as much as I am then this record will at least heal a couple of the wounds the band left when they split. It’s not perfect, and it’s not a replacement, but it’s the closest thing we’re going to get…