Loneliness and isolation have been at the forefront of public discourse over these last few years, so it’s only natural that it’s seeped its way into various forms of expression, most notably songwriting. Enter Charlie & Margot, the namesake for the solo songwriting project of musician Matteo DeBenedetti and his brand new single “Lonely.”
The song comes from his debut full-length album Joyride, which DeBenedetti is pleased to announce today. The dynamic, diverse album will include eight songs and demonstrates the many talents of DeBenedetti as a songwriter, as he easily moves between genres with style and assurance.
In his own words, DeBenedetti tells us:
“‘Lonely’ is written about self-evaluation during a time of intense isolation, in this instance, during the quarantine and subsequent months. It has a lot to do with managing my insecurities, and creating a healthy perception of how I see myself versus how others see me in the world, and managing expectations between life partners while growing to try to understand each other.”
A native of New Jersey, DeBenedetti has been writing songs since he was a young child, so it’s only natural that it’s become his career. He came up touring in a number of indie bands on the east coast over the last decade or so. The Charlie & Margot project came about in 2019 when DeBenedetti found himself dealing with a lot of uncertainty within his own life. That uncertainty led him down a songwriting rabbit hole that led to the creation of Charie & Margot, which he named after his and his wife’s two dogs.
Joyride is a musically diverse offering, with DeBenedetti’s interest in indie, Americana, and alternative rock really quite apparent throughout all eight tracks. It was produced alongside his longtime friend and collaborator Erik Kase Romero (The Front Bottoms, Lorde, The Bouncing Souls), and was tracked completely live. The album itself feels like the first step in a longer adventure that is set to unfold as DeBenedetti continues to define himself as a highly skilled and proficient songwriter.
