Exclusive track premiere of ‘Gonna Wait’ by Matthew & The Mainstream, taken from the new album, ‘Rom Core,’ out January 13th, 2023.

‘Rom Core’ was recorded over the course of three years, from Spring 2018 to Fall 2021 at Thundershirt Studios, in Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA. The album is produced by Thundershirt (Scott Seiver and Tim Young), mastered by John Spiker, engineered and mixed by Scott Seiver. Guitars and bass by Tim Young, drums by Scott Seiver, backing vocals by Seiver, Young, and Lurie. Keys by Matthew Lurie with contributions from Larry Goldings (STYBSG, Temporary Living Situation).

String quartet (Baby You’re Too Good To Me) features Tom Lea, Ji Young An, Adrianne Pope, Chris Ahn. Sebastian Steinberg plays upright bass (Brian Dryin’). Isaiah Gage plays cello (Gonna Wait, Brian Dryin’). Horns section (STYBSG, Chorus) features Steve Scalfati. Percussion by Davey Chegwidden.

The album of 10 songs was culled from a selection of 25 demos Lurie brought in, workshopped with Young and Seiver, and then recorded piecemeal, in between touring gigs and a pandemic. The album title comes from Lurie’s affection for rom coms, art that’s centered on love and lovelessness, and the realization that few artists today speak plainly about matters of the heart.

The second album from Matthew and the Mainstream, the solo project from Los Angeles singer-songwriter Matthew Lurie, could only have been made in LA. Fascinated by the session musician ecosystem that allowed Brian Wilson, Jon Brion, and Stevie Wonder to make their best work, Lurie sought out the best musicians in the city to breathe life into his teenage symphonies, resulting in ‘Rom Core.’

Headline photo: Jason Tippett

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