After a fifteen-year hiatus from music, Manhattan-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer Matt Friedlander decided to re-enter the fray. Performing under the moniker minus32heartbeat, he delivered a wonderfully inventive cover of The Cranberries’ classic tune ‘Dreams’. Instantly enamoured with his sound, it’s a project I’ve kept a close eye (and ear) on ever since.
Keen to learn more about Matt and his artistry, I was stoked when he agreed to an interview! Taking us through his brand new single ‘Smile + Slide Away’, what his idea of success in the industry is, and what he likes getting up to on rare non-music days, please welcome our friend Matt Friedlander of minus32heartbeat!
Hi Matt! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us! I’m stoked to re-introduce you to our ever-expanding audience! For those who have yet to discover your musical prowess, who is Matt Friedlander and when did your love affair with music begin?
Well, I’m a musician, composer, and producer living in New York City. I work under the moniker minus32heartbeat for this solo project, which I started in early 2023.
I’ve been making music in one form or another since I was about 5 years old, and it was always something that connected with me in a very beautiful and profound way. I’ve definitely had my fair share of Eureka moments throughout the course of my life, too many to list here, but I’ve been in love with making music for as long as I can remember.
My introduction to your music came from your synthy and dreamy reworking of one of my all-time favourite tunes – ‘Dreams’ by The Cranberries. What drew you to the song and how did you approach reinventing such a classic?
When I first decided to start up again after a long break away from recording, I came across this scratchy FM synthesizer and it was love at first sight. I didn’t really know how to use it or what I could do with it as I historically had written most of my music on a guitar or a piano, but I knew I wanted to do something with it. My son was a few months away from being born and I was definitely feeling a swell of emotions around becoming a father for the first time, but I was having difficulty getting those feelings down on paper.
One day I was riding the subway and ‘Dreams’ came on my headphones. And I had this lightning strike where I knew I wanted to cover that song. It’s obviously a love song (that’s been documented many times throughout the years) but the lyrics resonated with me in a different context that day given the impending arrival of my kid. I got home, pulled that synth out, transposed the key a bit so I could sing it in a lower register, and away I went.
For me, the original Cranberries recording is fairly close to perfect, so I didn’t want to try to emulate that. I decided early on in the arrangement process that I wanted to step outside my comfort zone and go for something fairly minimalistic and sparse. Most of the music I’d written or recorded before then was very densely layered with multiple guitar tracks and harmony vocals and a sort of modern wall-of-sound quality with tons of instrumentation. For this, I thought it would be a fun challenge to limit myself as much as possible. There’s maybe a little bit of EQ and compression on that track, but I wouldn’t call it anywhere near a final mix. And it’s not mastered. Just a rough, raw demo of a cover that I felt like putting out.
There was no way I was going to attempt a take of Dolores’ vocals at the end of the song, so I thought a children’s xylophone playing those same notes would be a nice, cheeky touch.
Another track of yours that I really fell in love with was ‘This City Shines So Bright’. It’s unpretentious indie-rock at its finest! What does the song mean to you and what message do you hope listeners take away from it?
Thank you for that. Hell of a compliment.
There are a couple of interesting things about that track.
First of all, out of every song on the album, I think that one sounds the most like my previous band, The GoStation. It’s taken straight out of our playbook: quasi-dancey drum beat with some flourishes, a bass part that works its way to roots through scale notes, a couple of distorted guitars, simple vocal harmonies, and a pentatonic guitar riff to close things out. That was “the formula” for us for most of the time that band was together, and I think in my own way I wanted to record some music that was reminiscent of those years, but also use that process as a bit of a conduit towards closing that chapter of my life.
The other thing that I’ve been noticing which I get a kick out of is that people are responding to that song with a lot of positivity and kicking it forward as a sort of anthem to the glory of New York City, when in reality I think the lyrics are the most depressing lyrics I’ve ever written! There’s this interesting dynamic happening in that song where the music is really upbeat and has a decent mid-tempo, but the words call back to one of the most difficult and trying times of my life.
In the end, I just hope that it resonates with whoever listens to it, whatever meaning or significance they find in it.
You’ve said that your brand new single ‘Smile + Slide Away’ is likely the most personal song you’ve ever penned. Tell us more 🙂
Well, first of all, it’s a love song. And I don’t write many of those.
It’s about those first couple of hours spending time with someone where everything is new and exciting and people let themselves get carried away with imagining how incredible things could be in a future with someone who is, relatively speaking, a total stranger.
I think those are beautiful moments, and it’s wonderful to drift into daydreaming “what if” scenarios and not second-guessing or being remotely pessimistic about it. Just diving right into the deep end of falling hard for someone. Without giving too much away, that’s the heart of the song for me.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences? Who did you grow up listening to? And would you say that your tastes have changed over the years?
I grew up in the 80s and 90s listening to guitar music, so all the big bands from those years have definitely gotten their hooks into my bones. Being inundated by Top 40 radio at such a formative time, I think a lot of those approaches to chord progressions and melodies still find their way into the music I write
Oasis will likely always be my favorite band. Guitars will likely always be my favorite instruments. I’ve talked in the past about my love for The Velvet Underground and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and big, lush anthemic bands from the last couple of decades.
But as I’ve gotten older and started listening to different music, I’ve fallen in love with stranger instrumentation, ambient music, and film scores…all of those things give me a lot of inspiration as well.
What would “being successful” in the music industry look like for you? And do you see it as an imperative or more of a cherry on top?
If we’re talking from a purely financial perspective, my idea of success is being able to live off making music. And that’s it. Rent’s paid and you can eat? You made it.
As far as what I consider the more meaningful aspect of success, I’ve already achieved it. I wrote, recorded and produced an album that I wanted to make for years. And it’s being released. I’ve got vinyl copies of it for sale. People are listening to it online.
Anything above that isn’t necessarily something I would turn my nose up to. But I’m very satisfied with where I am currently. I think everyone defines success in their own way, refracted through the lenses of how they approach what they’re doing and what they consider important. To me, I’ve checked off all the boxes I wanted to. The rest is just extra desserts being sent out.
Take us through a non-music day in the life of Matt Friedlander. What keeps you busy and what do you enjoy doing?
I do odds and ends every once in a while to make a bit of extra money, but there really aren’t many non-music days in my life.
I live in New York City and I definitely love the energy and pulse you feel from just walking through different neighborhoods.
I dunno – I cook a lot. I’m teaching myself how to play the saxophone. I spend time with my son and my wife. Outside of music, my life is fairly slow and relaxed, and that’s kind of the way I want it.
Which of your lyrics would you like to see printed on a T-shirt?
Oh geez – I have no idea…
“Nothing’s ever good if it’s always right”
“You’re gonna know me sooner or later”
“I don’t need this rock and roll”
I’m trying to think of some sort of grand prophetic statement I may have written in the past, but I think most of my lyrics are just kind of observational and abstract. Maybe someone will get creative and cut and paste a bunch of different ones into some amazing parable.
If so, mail me one.
Thanks again for taking the time to speak with us Matt! It’s been awesome getting to know you a little better. I’m seriously looking forward to the release of your debut album next month but, I guess in a broader sense, what do you hope your musical future has in store?
I’m honestly just going to keep writing music and recording it and performing it live.
I put together a live band for the album release show in September, but most of minus32heartbeat is just a blank canvas for whatever I want to do and how I feel like expressing myself. It’s an open-ended ticket with no final destination.
I’m going to do some solo shows that showcase some different styles of music that I write. I’m looking to collaborate with directors on scoring their films and TV shows.
The thing I like most about this project is that I’m not necessarily concerned with outside expectations. I just hope to keep making music and to keep it interesting. I could wake up sometime next year and decide to record an ambient record or a jazz album.
Above all else, I’m just going to keep having fun.
