New Band of the Week: Matted

Having graced the stages of the West End and performed on national TV screens, Matted are exploring new musical territory. The quintet have crafted an edgy rock and grunge sound they describe as “powerful, energetic and melodic” and has won them the support of pop/rock band McFly.

The band began with lead guitarist Jake Slack and bassist Jacon Swann, who performed together in the stage musical version of School of Rock when they were 11 and 12 years old. The pair were then part of Chapter 13, a pop quartet that received a golden buzzer in the 13th season of Britain’s Got Talent and went on to support McFly. But their musical path took a step in a new direction when they met vocalist Max Walker, who brought along rhythm guitarist Oscar Paulley before completing the lineup with drummer Tom Walker.

On the sound they’ve crafted since, Jacob told us: “Our sound is a blend of hard rock, grunge and alternative metal. It’s bursting with energy and emotion with heavy guitar riffs and big anthemic choruses. At the same time, there’s a melodic and atmospheric quality, which helps to build layers and add intensity. Our music is definitely full of life; it rocks hard, like the classics, but with a modern and unique take.”

Matted make a promising statement of this intent with their debut single Material, which was released last month. It opens up with a couple of stabbing riffs that chug away under a piercing guitar lick, before giving way to moody vocals that pick up pace. Echoey vocals feed into a big singalong chorus “Yeah! I know you wanna have it all, Yeah! You need to listen to me now, Yeah! I know you gotta have it all, Yeah! You’re so material” supported by chunky guitar chords.

Chugging guitars feed back into another building verse and a second chorus drops into heavy guitars, which end with a little lick that give way to more intense spoken vocals supported by a funky guitar lick. That sets up a big final blast of the chorus to bring an enjoyable track to a close.

On the track, Jacob told us: “Releasing Material feels like a huge milestone for us. We’re all very proud of the song and are, funnily enough, big fans of it ourselves . The response has been excellent so far – we’re ecstatic to finally have our music out there and hope for even more people to connect with it, just like us. For anyone who hasn’t heard it yet, Material is a high-energy track with heavy guitar riffs and catchy hooks. We really feel like it represents us as a band and captures our sound perfectly! Definitely give it a listen, you won’t regret it!”

Material was recorded with McFly drummer Harry Judd and recorded at the boyband’s London studio after the band won over Harry and singer/guitarist Danny Jones with its demos. It was also mixed and mastered by British rock/metal legend Romesh Dodangoda.

“We’re very lucky to have a great relationship and musical collaboration with Harry Judd and Danny Jones,” Jacob said. Our previous band supported McFly at the O2 Arena and have since stayed in touch. After we sent some demos to Harry, he was super keen to get us in their studio to lay down some songs. Their input was invaluable as they really understood our vibe and sound whilst also bringing fresh ideas to the songs. As a band, we are extremely pleased with the performance we achieved in the studio and are continuing to work on new tracks with Harry and Danny.

“Working with Romesh was an honour, as he’s worked with many legendary bands and artists. His approach to the mix was both creative and meticulous, and he really brought the best out of the song. We’re stoked with how it sounds! Romesh’s expertise and great ear for detail, really helped shape the heavy sound that we were going for bringing Material to life.

And Jake added: “It was such a pleasure to have Romesh mix our first song! He’s mixed so many great bands that we love so for him to be so passionate about our song and about us we were super grateful to be able to work with him so early on in our career.”

The Matted sound has been shaped by the band members’ varied influences and musical interests. They draw inspiration from the raw energy of AC/DC, the industrial tones of Nine Inch Nails, the experimental edge of Mr. Bungle, and much more.

And on what inspires them to write music, Jake explained: “Past experiences mostly, we write about what’s real and what we know… we’ve all had our own major struggles in life already and that’s what all of these songs are about, different corners and traits of trauma, frustration, depression, anxiety, and certain characters that we’ve encountered… and we think that people of all ages will strongly relate to the messages in our songs, everyone’s lives are different but I think our lyrics are poetic enough that they’re clear but make people feel understood, like they can relate our songs to their own traumas and their own life experiences.”

There’s plenty more to come from Matted, who are already working on their next release and plan on playing as many shows as possible. And you can see them play at The Pipeline in Brighton on Thursday (13 March) – tickets are here.

And Jacob added: “We’re all about creating music that feels real – raw, emotional, and intense. We don’t fit into a box, but we want our music to connect with people and make you feel something. Just listen, and you’ll get it.”

You can follow Matted on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Deezer and YouTube.