Matthew Squires & the Learning Disorders – ‘The Electric River’ [EP] [Album Review]

After a three-year hiatus, indie-pop outfit Matthew Squires & the Learning Disorders release their new EP, The Electric River.

Written during the isolation of the pandemic, while Squires was also sorting out the emotional aftereffects of the dissolution of a long-term relationship, the songs on The Electric River detail his personal turmoil as well as his attempt to comprehend a seemingly crumbling world outside.

In the spring of 2022, the band got together to record the EP, commandeering the bottom floor of lead guitarist Gianni Sarmiento’s parents’ house. The result is an intimate record saturated with a raw sound, distinct from their previous albums.

The Electric River comprises six tracks, beginning with “Love & Other Vaccines,” which opens on a strumming acoustic guitar topped by Squires’ unique voice, a bit reedy and high, yet definitely charismatic. When the song takes off, adding rhythm and electric guitars, it takes on Celtic-lite flavours.

Talking about the track, Squires says, “I was a little nervous about putting it on the record since it feels more in the ‘confessional singer-songwriter’ vein than I tend to feel comfortable with, but I was sufficiently proud of the line ‘I heard of a band which sings of a hand which turns to a fist and strikes down the abyss / Then it grabs this old earth and spins it in reverse until last is made first until death is made birth’ to justify whatever other reservations I had about it.”

From a subjective viewpoint, highlights on the EP include “The Ballad of Norm Macdonald,” which drips with lysergic textures, exotically laced guitars, and Squires’ narrative vocals.

Squires explains, “I wrote this song late at night after an especially grueling shift working produce at Whole Foods. I smoked a little pot, and it all just came out extremely quickly. I was a big fan of Norm Macdonald, and many trips down wormholes of his videos on YouTube were helping me make it through the insanity that was the pandemic and the societal breakdown which it typified. When he died, I was very sad, but also intrigued by his desire to keep his illness a secret.”

Matthew Squires & the Learning Disorders

“The Life of Trees” conjures up suggestions of ’60s country-pop, specifically Ricky Nelson. Of course, Squires’ voice is nothing like Nelson’s. Still, the harmonics reflect retro savours.

According to Squires, “Like with any song, it’s hard to say exactly what it means, I think it captures a feeling more than a concrete thought. I think it (much like the whole album, in a way), is concerned with my attempt to find love or meaning within the apocalyptic landscape of COVID-19.“

Blending hints of country, drawling gospel, and art-pop essences, “Not Sure What I’m Looking For” meanders on sifting tones as if searching for predictability in the midst of randomness.

Speaking about “Not Sure What I’m Looking For,” Squires shares, “This song, I think, has a good balance of being very simple and economical but simultaneously having a lot of depth.  I think this one is the most direct in terms of dealing with the feeling of being in that strange, transitional time of the pandemic.  I take the old song ‘When the Saints Come Marching In’ and deconstruct it a bit.  I think the song is sort of paradoxically lamenting and hopeful at the same time.”

Pervaded by a subtle sadness, The Electric River conveys the essential human condition of needing to find and the complementary need to be found.

The Electric River Track Listing:

1. Love & Other Vaccines
2. Felt Like Your Man
3. The Ballad of Norm Macdonald
4. The Life of Trees
5. New World Anthem
6. Electric River

Run Time: 18:28
Release Date: October 21, 2022
Record Label: Self-Released