Matthew Sweet returns after a six-year hiatus to release his new album, Tomorrow Forever. The expansive 17-song work, available in CD, double 180-gram-vinyl LP and digital configurations, will be released on June 16 via Sweet’s own newly launched Honeycomb Hideout label through Sony’s RED Distribution. The album is an introspective collection inspired by Matthew’s move to his native Omaha and the tragic loss of his mother. From that loss, Matthew overcame writer’s block with a burst of creative spirit, recording 38 songs in his newly built full production home studio.
The LP is the sound fans have come to expect while still pushing these familiar elements into previously unexplored territory, reflecting the profound changes in his life over the past six years. Essentially, the album contemplates the question: Does what is real extend beyond what the consciousness can readily grasp?
Though Matthew plays and sings on every track, he’s joined by a talented group of guest artists including guitarists Jason Victor (Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3, Dream Syndicate), Val McCallum (Jackson Browne), John Moremen (The Orange Peels) and Gary Louris (The Jayhawks). His longtime rhythm section of Paul Chastain (Velvet Crush) and Ric Menck (Chastain’s partner in Velvet Crush) are joined by the Bangles’ Debbi Peterson and there’s a keyboard cameo from The Zombies’ Rod Argent.
“I just wrote songs, and then it became clear what they might be about,” says Sweet. “I was dealing with moving for the first time in 20 years, and with the loss of my mom, just the shock of it all.”
When an uncommonly gifted artist trusts and follows the lead of his intuition, the results can be magical. In terms of its musical density, thematic depth, emotional immediacy and sheer scale,Tomorrow Forever could be described as Matthew Sweet’s All Things Must Pass. That wasn’t the plan — there was no plan. The music just turned out that way.
“Right after we moved here,” says Matthew, “I made this video for Kickstarter, and in it, if anything, I was promising myself that I was going to make a really heartfelt record.”
“TOMORROW FOREVER”
Track Listing
1 TRICK
2 ENTANGLED
3 PRETTY PLEASE
4 YOU KNEW ME
5 CIRCLE
6 HAUNTED
7 COUNTRY GIRL
8 OFF THE FARM
9 NOBODY KNOWS
10 THE SEARCHER
11 MUSIC FOR LOVE
12 BITTERSWEET
13 COME CORRECT
14 FINALLY
15 CAROL
16 HELLO
17 END IS NEAR
MATTHEW SWEET ON TOUR
MO 5/15 City Vineyard – New York, NY – City Vineyard –
TU 5/16 City Vineyard – New York, NY – City Vineyard –
SA 7/08 Omaha NE – The Waiting Room
SU 7/09 Omaha NE – The Waiting Room
TU 7/11 Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club
WE 7/12 Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
TH 7/13 Chicago, IL – City Winery
FR 7/14 Chicago, IL – City Winery
SA 7/15 Springfield, IL – Bedrock 66 Music Fest
SU 7/16 St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill Duck Room
TU 7/18 Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads
TH 7/20 Dallas, TX – Kessler Theater
FR 7/21 Austin, TX – 3TEN Austin City Limits Live
SA 7/22 Austin, TX – 3TEN Austin City Limits Live
SU 7/23 Houston TX – Heights Theatre
TU 7/25 Jackson MS – Duling Hall
WE 7/26 Atlanta, GA – City Winery
TH 7/27 Atlanta, GA – City Winery
FR 7/28 Nashville, TN – City Winery
SA 7/29 Louisville KY – Headliners
TH 9/07 Alexandria, VA – Birchmere
FR 9/08 Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage
WE 9/13 Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
TH 9/14 Derry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
FR 9/15 Brownfield, ME – Stone Mountain
SA 9/16 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
SU 9/17 Norfolk, CT – Infinity Hall
MO 9/19 Fall River, MA – Narrows Center for the Arts
WE 9/20 Hudson, NY – Club Helsinki
TH 9/21 Wilmington, DE – The Queen
FR 9/22 Tarrytown, NY – Tarrytown Music Hall
SA 9/23 Port Washington, NY – Landmark on Main Street
SU 9/24 South Orange, NJ – SOPAC
