Without a doubt, Girlfriend by Matthew Sweet would be one of my desert island discs. It’s a nearly perfect listening experience that is at once retro and timeless. The production, songwriting, vocal harmonies, even the pacing… perfection.
Sweet’s 1993 follow-up, Altered Beast, reached for similar heights, as did 100% Fun in 1995. Both were great records I still enjoy, but Girlfriend remains his masterpiece.
While Matthew Sweet has been releasing solo albums for the past 30 years, his most exciting work during this millennium have been his collaborative efforts. In 2003, he was one third of indie-supergroup The Thorns with Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins.
Then in 2006, Sweet teamed with Susanna Hoffs for the first of three albums in their Under The Covers series. Volume 1 focused on music from the 1960s. Then in 2009, Volume 2 came out with music from the 1970s. The presumably final entry in the series, Volume 3, came out in 2013 with songs from—you guessed it—the 1980s.
Next month will see the release of the first new Matthew Sweet music since his last outing with Susanna Hoffs, and his first solo effort since Modern Art in 2011. The new 19 track collection is entitled Tomorrow Forever, and it arrives June 16.
Here is the track list for Tomorrow Forever:
01. Trick
02. Entangled
03. Pretty Please
04. You Knew Me
05. Circle
06. Haunted
07. Country Girl
08. Off the Farm
09. Nobody Knows
10. The Searcher
11. Music for Love
12. Bittersweet
13. Come Correct
14. Finally
15. Carol
16. Hello
17. End Is Near
There’s no single release yet, so why not revisit another great track from Girlfriend in anticipation?