Having previously released ‘OUCH!’ a six-track EP in 2020, and several singles since then, Matt Watson (songwriter, artist and youtuber) released his latest work, ‘SEE YOU THERE’, the first album in Matt Watson’s discography so far. 

‘SEE YOU THERE’ falls under the ‘bedroom-pop’ genre, a genre mixed of indie, pop, some lo-fi, and synth. The album is twelve tracks, featuring Sarah Bonito and Father, on two of the tracks. The album covers themes of growing up and failed relationships, growing apart from someone you love while they fall out of love with you. 

The album cover itself seems to represent a nostalgic feeling for growing up. On the cover, Matt Watson is seen sitting surrounded by children’s toys as he sits ill-fittingly at a small kid’s piano. There seems to be a slight spotlight on Matt Watson, creating a feeling of having “all eyes on you.” The look of being at the kid’s piano, with the spotlight on him, creates a feeling of being forced to grow up, an artist who has people looking at him, when he still feels like a kid. This illustration of being trapped in your childhood, afraid of moving out of the life you have known up until this point, however being forced to, is represented beautifully by the cover alone.  

The album cover isn’t the only way ‘See You There’ demonstrates these feelings. The lyricism, specifically in ‘Ok Then’ and ‘Still I Dream of It’, creates a clear and bittersweet emotion of holding onto childhood, yet at the same time reaching for a future where everything is okay, skipping the worries and troubles of the journey to that life. While ‘STUPID’, ‘NEBRASKA’ and ‘Aquarium’ express a one-sided relationship, reaching for someone who doesn’t know or love him back. 

‘Ok Then’ begins with a direct reference to looking back on the past in the first verse. “I get sentimental…watching Malcom in the Middle, reminiscing on some visions that are pretty cool…” then later saying “I’m on the couch in the living room scared to sleep upstairs alone…” directly referencing when he was a child, missing the innocence of worrying about small things. ‘Ok Then’ also reaches for a comfort in the chorus, “that after school where I’m okay. Back in my room that is no longer around. Wishing for that blue hour, wishing I could be there now.” Relatively straight forward in wanting a comforting place and the feeling that comes along with it, however ultimately having to come to terms with the fact that the comfort is no longer there like it used to. 

‘Still I Dream of It’ is the first interlude in the album and the majority of the song is a daydream Matt is experiencing about his future life until he receives a call (cameo by Ryan Magee) abruptly bringing him back to reality in the midst of his fantasies. The instrumentals in ‘Still I Dream of It’ stay consistent with a melancholy vibe to them, as it’s slow, simple, respective in a way that emphasizes his voice. “Still, I dream of it, that happy day when I can say I’ve fallen in love. And it haunts me so, like a dream that’s somehow linked to all the stars above” Matt Watson’s vocals create a dream-like emotion that reflects his fantasies of a future life.  

‘See You There’ also touches on themes of relationships, the opening track being ‘STARSTUD’, an up-beat, pop, cliché love song featuring Sarah Bonito. In the first line of the song, Matt Watson wastes no time in getting into his emotions with “I can feel myself falling in love” which also establishes the rest of the song’s first chorus. Chorus two, however, the song takes slightly more of a serious turn while still maintaining this upbeat feeling with the lines “Every single time that I’m falling in love, I fall a little too hard and end up screwin’ it up.” The song ends with yet another abrupt phone call that Matt Watson answers and then says hello, this phone call possibly representing another call to reality, however rather than focusing on the future, he daydreams of someone he is in love with. 

‘WACKY’ is the beginning of the end of this relationship three tracks after ‘STARSTUD’, using the metaphor of this love interest driving by him, while he is waving at them, trying to get their attention. “I am your wacky waving inflatable arm man; I’m going crazy for you. And maybe one of these days, you’ll slow down when you come around. And maybe you’ll wave too.” ‘WACKY’ uses a lot of metaphors about driving by, one of which being the love interest drives by “too fast”, and is no longer visible by Matt Watson, meaning a possible relationship that the love interest gets into, forgetting about him completely. ‘WACKY’ creates a subtle, yet noticeable transition into ‘Aquarium’ hinting at themes of longing for someone in a relationship. 

‘Aquarium’ looks into Matt’s mind, representing it as a town, in which “Wanted” posters are hung up all over his ‘town’ for a certain person. The song he references wanting this person “dead or alive”, playing into the wanted poster reference. Matt points out that once they are “untied” and that he “might go crazy if you don’t decide.” This person possibly being in another relationship, but he holds onto the hope that they will choose him.  

‘STUPID’ is possibly the most upsetting song on the album, although it remains simple. The main four-five lyrics repeat throughout the song, the only variation of them being a change from “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” to “I’m dumb, I’m dumb” and finally to “I’m dumb, it’s done” which is the finishing line to the song. The main lines being repeated are “I don’t want to hurt you, but I already did. And you don’t even know it yet.” These repeated lines over a slow, almost numbing instrumental consisting of a leisurely guitar tune that also repeats gives a sense of overthinking, these thoughts racing through his mind constantly, yet tauntingly slow. 

‘SEE YOU THERE’ references emotions that have been experienced by everyone, creating a beautiful and relatable album. ‘SEE YOU THERE’ not only works wonderfully as an individual album, but also creates an opening to future albums and works by Matt Watson, which will certainly be worth the wait for.