As the first single from his recently announced album New Cold Dream, “Lie Awake” is a crystalline exhibition of increasingly focused songwriting and production from Matt Weiner (plus it totally slaps). If last year’s self-titled LP was about growing self-acceptance, the shadowy jitters of “Lie Awake” find him fully embracing the introspective path, not running in fear from the familiar demons that await him.
The hesitant grooves recall Fad Gadget and Music for the Masses era Depeche Mode, but the five-minute track gives Weiner enough time to work in a classic EBM build-up emblematic of some of his past club-centric songwriting both as TWINS and as a member of the DKA duo Pyramid Club. This eye towards the past is accentuated by the video for “Lie Awake,” which is nothing if not an homage to the best synth-pop videos of the ‘80s, plus candles and cowboy hats.
Though he channels the weight of a wakeful night with frightening accuracy, Weiner sings with a slight sneer rather than complete surrender. This combative sound weaves a strangely comforting thread throughout the song. There’s a boldness in Weiner’s willingness to confront the voices rather than self-medicate into numb oblivion. It channels a sense of camaraderie for anyone whose mind batters them with a slew of “what ifs” in their most exhausted state.
Watch/listen above.
New Cold Dream drops Oct. 25 via 2MR. Pre-orders area available here.
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