Matilda Mann - Roxwell Review
Matilda Mann pays an ode to and departure from her intimate folk style with her debut album Roxwell, exploring contemporary pop and neo-soul influences.
Rising singer-songwriter Matilda Mann from West London has released her first full-length album Roxwell, a pop infused indie-folk record exploring the twists and turns of adulthood and love. Mann already has a solid discography of four EPs and a wealth of singles under her belt, garnering an impressive half a million monthly listeners on Spotify. Roxwell was highly anticipated and doesn’t disappoint.
Roxwell is a deeply personal record named after the street where Mann grew up. Lyrically, the album dissects the bittersweet transition into adulthood and the triumphs and trials that come along with growing up, often focusing on her romantic relationships. A mixture of contemplative and emotional lyrics with witty and sarcastic ones throughout the album firmly establishes Mann as one of the UK’s most promising singer-songwriters.
What makes the record an exciting listen is the varying styles that Mann explores. Already within the first three tracks the artist establishes the genres which will infiltrate her well-known intimate folk style: namely contemporary pop and neo-soul sensibilities. The album opens with At The End Of The Day, a track rooted in Mann’s sure-footed folk: gentle guitar finger-picking, delicate vocals and harmonies, and poetic lyrics, with Mann singing ‘I used to think you were God, heaven knowns I was wrong’. Track number two, Say It Back, lifts the mood instantly. Co-produced with Jonah Summerfield, the song is an upbeat, witty, pop and soft-rock ballad about unrequited love and the frustration that comes along with it. Lyrics such as ‘to show you how much I love you, I’d jump off of a cliff and get back up’ // ‘I’d quit my job to stay with you, I’d vote for who you wanted to’ // ‘why don’t you want me like that, why don’t you want what we could have, why don’t you say it, say it back?’ Sarcastic and angsty lyrics are accompanied by driving guitar riffs and power chords. Dazed & Confused is next, a track with a neo-soul touch in its jazz harmonies, layered vocals, and Clario-like production.
The rest of the album takes these three styles and sophisticatedly blends them together, and Mann quietly but confidently experiments with her sound. Tracks like Tell Me That I’m Wrong, Worst Person Alive, Everything That I’m Not, and All That Was Said, focus on Mann’s angelic voice and strong guitar playing and often add swelling strings for emotional impact. Songs like See You Later and Autopilot are pop/indie ballads to belt in the car with your friends, whereas Just Because and Meet Cute are rooted in RnB production and jazz inflected chords, the latter winning best Newcomer’s Pop/RnB/Soul Video at the UK Video Music Awards.
Roxwell closes with Girls, a beautiful ballad dedicated to strong female friendships that stand the test of time. Folk strings playing countermelodies, soft guitar strumming, a gentle beat and Mann’s delicate voice sing ‘it was only yesterday, that we promised not to change’ // ‘we were girls first’. The placement of this track at the end of the record is quite fitting; perhaps Mann reverting to her well-known intimate folk style while singing about changing and evolving is at once an ode to and departure from her youthful self, both personally and musically.
Speaking on the album, Mann says ‘this is something I’ve been working on for years and every song feels like such a massive part of me. It’s everything I want to say and more’. The artist will be touring this spring around the UK and Europe, including playing the iconic KOKO in Camden in April.