Today marks the release of the new music video from Mattis. It’s called “Loverboy.” And it’s lit! Mattis Jakobsen, who stands 6 foot 8 inches in height, hails from Copenhagen, Denmark. Formerly a punk rocker, Mattis set aside the punk rock persona, adopting a more expressive identity. And I, for one, am glad he did because Mattis can sing!
Stylistically, Mattis’ sound reflects soul, electronic and pop influences, along with a mish-mash of flavors from gospel, R&B and jazz. The best way to describe his sound is to call it “Viking soul music.”
“Loverboy” exudes a soulfulness that is incomparable. The tune reminds me a bit of James Blake, except Mattis’ voice radiates a wistful melancholy that is fugitive in Blake’s voice. “Loverboy” begins with a slightly industrial-sounding groove, deep and strong. Then Mattis’ powerful tenor enters, rich and full of deep resonance. The melody rides the groove and the synth equally, providing the song with a tantalizingly dark essence. Electronic and pop elements flow through the melody, while the soul element emanates from Mattis’ voice. A compelling bassline provides a stout rhythm, while harmonic accents from the synth deliver shallow layering that’s stellar; any more layering and the impact of the groove would diminish. It’s a powerful tune, starkly moody, austere and emotionally evocative.
Mattis’ voice commands attention. It’s that different and that good. There’s a subterranean chafing, murmuring rasp in his voice that seethes with erotic sensuality, while simultaneously suggesting the anguish of heartache. And when he goes falsetto, it sends tingling shivers rocketing up your spine. Put simply, it’s a superb voice that oozes unbridled color and petrifying dynamism.
The lyrics of “Loverboy” related the pain of lost love and the subsequent enervating emotional and spiritual spiral into the abyss resulting from such a loss. The damaged heart seeks solace in a variety of ways: other lovers, parties, whatever. But in the end, solace is elusive, nothing more than a veneer of pleasing self-indulgence over still weeping emotional wounds and gouges of the heart.
The video was shot in two days in July, the first in Copenhagen and the second at Vadehavet (Wade Sea), a Danish landmark. It features Julier Bugge, the electrifyingly beautiful supermodel. As the video opens, Mattis strides along the beach, beneath dark storm clouds, the wind whipping around him. He is alone, not only physically, but spiritually and emotionally. The video then cuts frequently from Mattis to a beautiful woman who is distinct, yet at the same time vague and out of reach. The implication is she is present to him, in his heart and mind, but the reality of the situation is she is gone from his life. As the video concludes, Mattis walks into the ocean, which swallows him up. And then, as if the world turned upside down, he falls out of the water and drops into the sky, falling up.
The visual images projected by the video are raw with emotion, ascetic with light against dark. It’s excellent.
Mattis has it going on! “Loverboy” is a spectacular song, and the video is superb. Inhabited by a potent, thrumming melody, along with Mattis’ stunning voice, “Loverboy” is one of the best songs of the year. I am adding it to my personal playlist. And I wish and hope that Mattis drops an EP or album very soon.
Find out more about Mattis here.