Austin art-pop outfit Matthew Squires and the Learning Disorders are set to release their new EP, The Electric River, on October 21. It’s their first since coming off a three year hiatus, due in part to the COVID lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. But even during those years, Squires never stopped writing and recording, using music as a way to process the dissolution of a long-term relationship and the feelings of isolation and existential dread he felt in seeing the world around him shut down.
Earlier this year, Squires and the band camped out in the basement of lead guitarist Gianni Sarmiento’s parents’ house, and over the course of a weekend, they rediscovered the joy of performing that they’d experienced when they were younger. Trimming down a list of over 30 songs, the band settled on six that felt rawer and more stripped-back than most of their more recent work. Doused in lo-fi indie rock mannerisms and DIY pop mutations, the album found them embracing the terror around them to find joy and emotional connection. Where do we find love, and how do we find meaning in a world so off-kilter as our own? Squires and his band look to each other and find that sometimes what we’re searching for is often just a few feet away.
The band has now shared a new single, “The Ballad of Norm McDonald”, from the EP, and it has the same kind of unpredictable energy as early songs from The Meat Puppets and Mekons — there’s an undeniable cowpunk vibe to it. Wobbly electronics float by in the background while snaking guitar lines wrap themselves around Squires speak-sing vocals. There’s a sincerity here that belies the oddity of its narrative, creating a surreal atmosphere where thoughts and images are spontaneously rearranged, and honest sentiment is carried like a badge of honor.
“I wrote this song late at night after an especially grueling shift working produce at Whole Foods,” explains Squires. “I smoked a little pot, and it all just came out extremely quickly. It’s hard to explain but every now and then as a songwriter, you feel more like you discovered a song which was sitting there, already complete, rather than feeling like you wrote it, and this was one of those kinds of songs. 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.”
Listen to the song below.
Matthew Squires and the Learning Disorders’ new EP, The Electric River, is due out October 21. Follow the band on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
