Starting out his music career in France in the mid 90’s, multi-instrumentalist, producer and mixing engineer Mathieu Cote seemed to have a clear career path laid out, playing for French bands in addition to an internship opportunity at Sony Music and Virgin Music France. But Cote decided to relocate to Ireland and put his music career on hold. Seventeen years later, he has returned to the music industry as PRTLND, bringing along a 90’s essence of inner exploration, nostalgia and hope.
Cote’s latest release ‘High’ focuses on his desire to delve into his own mind and explore altered states of consciousness. The song came about after a holotropic breathing session that enabled Cote to unlock other realms without using psychedelic drugs.
The classic 90’s rock sound of ‘High’ portrays a sense of nostalgic innocence, embodying bands such as Teenage Fanclub while combining a dreamy and spacious production, tastefully slotting in with the current indie and singer-songwriter music trends. The lyrics are simple but touching, and give a bitter-sweet, adolescent feels to the song. Cote describes PRTLND as “both a coming of age and a mid-life crisis”. Considering that his latest release feels as though it could be a soundtrack for a Netflix teen film as well as your dad’s favourite song, I couldn’t agree more.
Cote is undoubtedly manifesting his return to the music world, while showcasing maturity and quality and a fast-paced workflow, having released four singles this year so far.
Recommended! Listen to ‘High’ by PRTLND on Spotify now:
