Believe me, after more than a decade of writing this blog, I do not lack submissions. This is a privileged position to be in. Still, I receive more than I can listen to – there is no team ’17 Seconds’ (and still people send in their follow-ups, despite the polite requests for them not to do so. I have more than 40,000 unopened emails in the 17 Seconds account).
So, it can be a sheer luck when I get to hear something new – and in the case of Mateo Katsu, I am so glad I did.
The email stated simply:
“Welcome to “The Glow”. A song that sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel, or Built To Spill, or maybe the Breeders.
“The Glow” is about living in a scummy artists co-op and the ambivalent feelings that come with that. It is the last single I will be promoting from the recently released Mateo Katsu album, Fourteen Weeks, which was written and recorded in a scummy artists co-op, over the course of 14 weeks.”
Fourteen Weeks came out in November – and you can buy it here. It sounds fresh and exciting, evoking the best American indie rock of the last thirty years, without sounding like a throwback. For me, the artists I most hear within are Sebadoh and Pavement.
According to his bandcamp page, ‘Mateo Katsu writes, teaches, performs, and records. He was born in Los Angeles, California, and he lives there still. He also runs a small label called Miedlena.’
Check out ‘The Glow’ below – and then check out the whole album