Cat Matthews was born to be a storyteller. As the daughter of Leslie Landon (Little House on the Prairie) and as the proud sibling of Justin Matthews (The Duel), storytelling is in her DNA. However, when a routine surgery went awry and rendered her mute, Matthews emotional and creative outlet was ripped from under her, or so one would think.
With plenty of stories still to tell, especially after the dissolution of her pop-duo niña, Matthews continued to feverishly write. Through patience and healing, she started to regain her voice and began singing those stories to a 16-track tape machine.
Four years after her last release and life altering surgery, Matthews has emerged with a time capsule of sorts, a double release: “Greener Pastures” and “Happiness is Sad.” Both the A and B sides are a reflection of the moments and the Laurel Canyon music that has shaped her.
Ahead of her upcoming performance at RedWest Fest in Salt Lake City on October 5th (tickets here), we chatted with Cat Matthews about rediscovering herself solo, her inspirations, and more.
After a botched surgery causing a trachea tear, you weren’t sure if you’d ever sing again. What has it been like rediscovering your voice?
That came at a time when I was rediscovering more than just my voice. I went into that surgery with a former band, a boyfriend, and a life I had grown accustomed to; on the other side, the world that I knew changed completely. I was learning how to sing again, learning how to be alone, and learning how to rely solely on myself as a creative outlet. My voice matured in a way that I feel a lot of pride in.
What inspired the songs “Greener Pastures” and “Happiness is Sad”?
Greener Pastures was actually the first song I had written after my tracheal injury. I was going through so many changes and felt really bogged down when thinking about decisions I had made. I was doubting my decision to drop out of NYU, I was regretting a lot of aspects of my former relationship, and my injury had set me back in a way that I thought would change my life for the foreseeable future. I really felt like I was so close, aiming for everything that I had wanted, yet continually missed each mark. That idea haunted me a lot during that period of mandated silence. I wrote Happiness is Sad when I was processing my first major heartbreak and desperately took to reddit (r/breakups) for a sense of commiseration. An anonymous redditor wrote that months into his breakup, his ability to find joy again was always quickly followed by profound melancholy due to the fact that he could no longer share his happiness with the person he loves most–that happiness was sad without her.
What was behind the decision to release it as a double single?
I have always loved that a traditional single is 2 songs—an A and a B side. That is what could fit on a 7” release. I haven’t seen many contemporary artists do that and I like the idea of introducing myself with two different sides of my writing.
I read that you recorded the tracks on a tape machine. Can you share more about why you decided to record analog instead of digital and what that recording process was like?
A lot of people record to tape in a sort of aesthetic “look I recorded to tape” kind of way; simply put, I was really just inspired by the music I grew up listening to—raw, untuned, unedited. I love the way that tape captures performances. These songs were captured, not built.
Your solo music has a very different sound than your songs from niña. Who or what inspired this new sound?
That project was a collaborative effort between me and my former producer. We were both admirers of shoegaze and 90’s dream pop bands. Although I am still a big fan, it was never what I had envisioned my own legacy in music to be. On my own, I found myself writing more in the style of the artists I grew up listening to most. Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Mazzy Star, Joni Mitchell…
If you could set fans up in the perfect environment to listen to your double single, what do you imagine it looking like?
Ok if I have full creative liberty to paint the perfect picture, I’d love for them to listen on a brisk fall day, around dusk, with some candles lit. Maybe next to a roaring wood fire? Off of their record player that I’m giving them in this scenario. I want them to feel cozy and warm. The house should smell good too—like cinnamon and smoke.
What can fans look forward to next? Perhaps an album?
Without stating anything obvious, I think they definitely have something to look forward to.
What is one quote that you have heard or that you go by that you want to ECHO out to the world?
“Better to admit you walked through the wrong door than to spend your life in the wrong room.” —Unknown