Matt Tarka - Salem
Settle in for a journey into this sublime, sonically stirring indie rock track by Matt Tarka, 'Salem'. The track comes up aces with its irresistibly charming, driving folk rock guitar rhythms along with Tarka's soulful, passion-powered vocals. It bleeds with the kind of emotion that can only arise from lived experience. The track features Matt on a range of intstruments - Acoustic Guitar, Vox, Drums, Omnichord, Cowbell & Handclaps. He teams with the talented Jarrett Nicolay on guitars and bass. The artist suffered a serious concussion while playing soccer, one that tested his very limits and led him down a riveting path of self-healing, introspection, and growth. After all, it isn't really until we're able to rise from our hardest falls that we learn our biggest lessons. 'Salem' draws you in with exciting, upbeat harmonies. Tarka's passionate, sincere vocals conversationally sing us through moments from his recovery journey. His voice has this almost effortless quality of balancing low, mid, and high notes with finesse. 'There's a suitcase packed for Salem, Already propped against the door, A lover’s crying, she could not take him anymore Give me a taste, a little taste Give me a taste, of what’s in store' The lyrics cover themes of struggle, rejection, dependency and hopelessness that often come up during a healing journey. Tarka makes light work of creating a easy going yet emotional, immersive visual journey for the listeners. Lines like 'Give me a taste, a little taste, Give me a taste and ease the pain' clearly speak to the artist's unpologetic dependency on painkillers nd how that changed his life completely. The track flows at a compelling tempo. Punctuated with smart pauses and transitions, it is truly a masterclass in composition and production. Every sonic element of this track feels perfectly balanced, making “Salem” such a pleasant listening experience that's worth repeating over and over again. What really stands out is the intricate rhythm section. The bass keeps the track rooted with astounding assuredness, binding the guitars so well. The drums, tastefully arranged, dictates the fun, free-flowing tempo. This is definitely amongst the best indie rock tracks we've heard this year. Matt brings a tremendous, compelling energy to his songwriting and composing. Backed by the deeply personal story behind this track, it oozes personality and character, compelling from start to finish. This track would fit in excellently to the soundtrack of arguably one of the best sports movies of all time, 'Jerry Maguire'. We love what we've heard from Matt's eclectic sonic wizardry in 'Salem' and look forward to discovering more this this talented artist!
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