If It's Too Loud...

Matt Pond PA recently got the rights back to their 2015 album The State of Gold. They set about re-recording the album and re-sequencing it. The first redone song available to listen to is "Spaceland." How is the new version different from the original? I'm honestly not sure since the original The State of Gold  seems to be pretty much scrubbed offline. The new version features Matthew Caws and Louie Lino of Nada Surf and is a complete expression of pure joy. It's an indie rock/pop anthem that is endlessly upbeat and positive. It's an absolutely gorgeous song that sounds exactly like Matt Pond PA and Nada Surf joined forces to craft an epic. In an email newsletter to fans, Matt Pond explains the song and new version: "'Spaceland' was originally the last song on The State of Gold. It's a hazy vision of the first club we played on the west coast, a place where dreams and reality collide — beautiful palm trees overlooking littered sidewalks. We sat o...

Last week saw Matt Pond giving away his debut album, Deer Apartments , for free. At the time, he promised that he'd be delivering a new EP this week, also for free. Free Fall is available now, and it's being called an EP it's nine songs long. According to their website, Free Fall is "... a free EP dedicated to Pennsylvania, love, autumn and you!" It appears to be under the name "Matt Pond, Chris Hansen, and Sean Hansen" instead of the retired Matt Pond PA name, or the briefly used Spaceland. It's pretty safe to say that if you've liked anything Matt Pond has released previously, you're going to like Free Fall. The songs tend to be a bit mellower than Deer Apartments  but right in line with more recent Matt Pond PA releases. "Outside" may be my favorite, in it's not quite folk, not quite pop, not quite rock kinda upbeat way. It wouldn't be a Matt Pond release without a cover, and they break out a brilliant version of INXS...

One of our favorite things about Matt Pond PA were their love of covers, since, as we always remind you, we're pretty fond of cover songs here at If It's Too Loud... Matt Pond's love of cover songs remains intact with his new project, Spaceland (name subject to change). The latest cover he's given us with this name is a great version of The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun." Covering The Beatles can be tricky since die hard fans will freak out about any change or just the fact that an artist is daring to try. Spaceland do a fantastic job, slowing down the song slightly and giving it a bit of a spacey feel. It's the perfect kind of cover song since it stays completely true to the original while adding just enough of their own sound to it to make it worthwhile. Plus, the song comes at the perfect time since the extended winter we've been experiencing in the Northeast United States appears to finally be over. You can listen to Spacelend's version ...

Last year saw the end of Matt Pond PA as a musical project. Luckily for the universe as a whole, Matt Pond is still making music. For now, the project is called Spaceland but is subject to change. He's released four "rough demos" for Spaceland songs, and if these are the rough versions, I can't imagine how great the actual releases will be. The first track, "Outside," is a great, upbeat indie rock song that stops well short of being twee. This is my favorite of the batch, and still sounds like Matt Pond PA enough for fans, but different enough to warrant a new project name. It also includes a cover of INXS's "Don't Change." I loved Matt Pond PA's covers, and it looks like that will continue with Spaceland.  You can listen to Spaceland's demos below via Soundcloud. To keep up with Spaceland and Matt Pond's music in general, check him out on Patreon . He's also looking to put listeners' thoughts and dreams to music. If...