INTERVIEW: Matt and Kim
“Matt and Kim are bringing the heat!” exclaims Matt Johnson, the keys and vocals behind the renowned Brooklyn-based duo Matt and Kim. The pair are back on tour after getting taken off the road due to an injury that rendered drummer Kim Schifino unable to perform. WTBU DJ Monica Sucic talked with Johnson about being sidelined, his relationship with Kim, and the many artists featured on the upcoming sixth album, Almost Everyday.
Monica Sucic: This past year has been one of your longest breaks from touring. Does the time you had sidelined from touring reflect in the production and writing of the new album?
Matt Johnson: Oh, absolutely. This is far from our first album. Having had a shit ass year, because Kim got injured on stage and the long recovery and all the horrible headlines, it was a new sort of inspiration for writing. Maybe I wouldn’t have asked for it, but trying to make lemonade out of lemons, I think writing from a therapeutic place–which is what musicians have done for decades, but me and Kim never did–let stuff come out quicker and be more personal.
MS: Your chemistry with Kim is a huge highlight to your onstage performance and your writing. How has your bond with her grown and changed over the years?
MJ: I don’t know! It kind of feels the same, which is crazy, right? It’s been so long; it’s been my whole adult life that we’ve been together. When we got together, we were two carefree people versus the world, and those are still the same people we are today. You’d think that after all the time we spend with each other, we’d have killed each other by this point. [laughs] When we get off a tour, we’re like, “Let’s go see a movie together!” We’re still each other’s bestie, for lack of a better word.
MS: Your new album features a variety of artists, including Mark Hoppus from Blink 182 and Kevin Ray from Walk the Moon. What prompted you to include these artists?
MJ: We feel that there’s this thing about playing our songs live and the energy they get–I feel like part of that is having other voices singing along. Not just having me to shrilly sing but having these other voices. So we thought, “Let’s hit up some of our friends who play music!” They’re the chorus in the background. It’s not as much about having individual features as it’s just what happens when a bunch of voices sing together. It was just so cool to get people that we’re friends with, but also a fan of, on the record.
MS: What made you want to write “Happy If You’re Happy” as an a cappella song?
MJ: While everyone tells me that “the album is dead” and that people just listen to singles or everyone just puts songs on shuffle, it was important to us to make a record that felt like, beginning to end, you were listening to an album. I thought that it really means giving diversity in the songs. Some are short, some are long, some are instrumental songs, and there’s that song we did with just our voices. Right now, that’s our number two song on Spotify. I never thought it would find an audience where it’s finding an audience. I thought it would be just a deep album cut. Some of my favorite listening experiences have been when I loved an album all the way through.
MS: What topics do you want to talk about next on your YouTube channel?
MJ: Here’s the thing: I get down with stuff that Kim would roll her eyes about. Nerdy stuff, like tech stuff and things like that. We call the vlog “Show You Stuff.” Maybe I show you something that’s really fucking crazy. But on the other side of that, if I suggested it, Kim would roll her eyes and say “BORING!” [laughs]
MS: What makes your current tour different than previous tours?
MJ: In many ways, it’s the same. The energy of what we want on stage is always the same. We want it to be a party, we want it to be out of control. We need a visually excited crowd. I think of these bands that are really great where the audience doesn’t move or dance, because it’s lowkey music, but to me that would be like being a comedian and having no one laugh at any of your jokes. You need the feedback in the moment. But at the same time, I think we have even a deeper appreciation after having had almost a year and a half of no shows. I’ve never taken that sort of break since we started. And we really missed it. We saw what a world and a life would be like for us after the band or after we’re off the road, so I think now we appreciate every minute we have on stage.
Matt and Kim’s sixth album, “Almost Everyday,” will be out May 4. Matt and Kim are currently on tour, and will be playing Boston’s House of Blues on Thursday, April 26. Tickets are available here.