Sam Fuehring
Ben Montalbano, the creative force behind Matthäus, the Chicago- and St. Paul- based septet, certainly knows his Midwestern chamber-folk touchstones. The soaring and swooping songs on Effigy, the band’s debut EP, conjure echoes of genre titans Justin Vernon and Sufjan Stevens. But the driving piano that powers the reflective song “To the Years” actually recalls a band a little further south: Mae, the aughts-era chamber-rockers who hail from Virginia.
Amid the swirl of stately horns and sweet harmonies, the thoughtful composition and lyrics that stand out here. Each song is a musical exploration that reflects the slowly building journey of self-awareness inherent in the EP’s narrative. Effigy begins with Montalbano asking a question that’s purely existential: Do you even know my name?
By the end of the disc, the answer’s plain: We do now.
Matthäus will debut Effigy at the High Noon Saloon on June 1.
