Arriving in New York City from Wales in 2011 with the intention of launching a modeling career, Matt Hitt didn’t waste much time getting his bearings. He’d already appeared in campaigns for major fashion brands AllSaints and Gucci before Brooklyn’s Drowners retained him as their charismatic frontman in 2012. After a pair of Smiths-obsessed LPs for the Frenchkiss label, Drowners went on extended hiatus, and Hitt stepped away from the spotlight. A few years ago, he signed on as a touring guitarist for the like-minded (and considerably more successful) Vaccines.
But Hitt hadn’t given up on his own material—and when the time was right, he sought production help from Vaccines guitarist Timothy Lanham. Recorded in New York and London, the five-song You’ll Be Lucky (Killphonic) has a fluttery new-wave pulse and considerably more emotional authenticity than his work with Drowners. The EP is set for release Friday. Here’s a sneak preview, with notes on each track from Hitt.
—Hobart Rowland
1) “Carried Away”
“This one’s about losing the plot and falling down the rabbit hole. Something I’m prone to do with all the rumination that goes on in my head … something I’m constantly trying to silence.”
2) “I’m Sorry, New York”
“A love song about the city I chose to live in 15 years ago. Like with most relationships, there are ups and downs. This imagines New York as my wife, my mistress and the love of my life. All three meats.”
3) “Ladies Of Lucille Avenue”
“I had Macbeth’s witches in mind for this one … What would happen if you met them in an East Village bar instead of on the Scottish heath? There’s a lot of witchcraft that happens at 1 a.m. in a dive bar.”
4) “Am I Supposed To Forget About You”
“I was attempting to write a folk song, with all the repetition and refrains. But then we put distortion on it, and it came out a bit different.”
5) “Kentucky Mules”
“The old classic trope of unrequited love … I can’t stay away from that topic. It’s the crux of all my favorite songs and films, so I thought it’d be a good idea to add another one to the pile.”
