Behind The Album: MattstaGraham's Prescribe Whatever

Keavin Wiggins | 04-29-2022

Photo courtesy Big Picture Media

Emo rocker MattstaGraham just released his brand new album, "Prescribe Whatever", and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the effort.

Prescribe Whatever wasn't written with any intention to redefine the genre, speak a truth you haven't heard before, or make any huge impact whatsoever. The goal was to be as honest as possible. When I say honest, I don't just mean lyrically blunt. I mean everything. From the way the guitars were played, the way the vocals were sung, all the way to its production. I feel I've always had this boundary with honesty where I'm so afraid to be a burden that all of my life has been neatly packaged for general consumption. "I'm not okay with that" turns into "it's fine." "I'm not okay" becomes "I'm hanging in there." "I'm passionate about my interests" becomes "I don't wanna bore you."

Writing a record during a pandemic was freeing, in a sense. I don't mean to make light of a terrible situation, but it felt like in isolation (aside from my partner and our dogs) it was okay to say whatever I felt, because I was shouting into a void anyway. I feel that my time away from my day to day reality allowed me to perceive it differently - in the sense that my emotional hang ups aren't real barriers, and I am the only one who can decide whether they hold me back or not.

Prescribe Whatever is my attempt to take everything that makes up myself as an artist and present it in the most vulnerable way possible. It's okay if it's not your favorite album. It's okay if it's not a genre redefining album. It just is what it is, and that is who I am at this current moment in my soul. It is an honest timestamp of my current self that a thousand pictures could never capture. How I want to express myself could change tomorrow, but that's what it is right now and I will forever be grateful for letting those mental barriers go for that reason.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the album, watch the video for the song "Still Hearing About It" for yourself below and stream the full album here