Sheffield Luminary 'Mat Hook' Returns With His Outstanding New Single 'This Feeling'

After nearly a decade away from the Kartica days, Sheffield singer-songwriter Mat Hook is back, re-emerging into the live and recorded music scene with his new solo material. Following sold-out gigs and international press attention with Kartica, Hook’s return is marked by an unfiltered, authentic approach to music — and his latest single This Feeling is no exception.

You returned to the scene after nearly a decade away from the Kartica days. What was it that finally sparked the urge to start releasing music again as a solo artist?

I just thought the state of music was so shite that it was in the public interest! (Laughs) It was a culmination of things! Mostly timing and just a natural process of falling back into it… I felt a bit of unfinished business as far as performing and writing music was concerned and felt I had something to express after some difficult years.. and music’s the best way I know how.

If the lockdown had never happened I’m not sure I ever would’ve though. It have me the opportunity and space to process my past in music. So circumstance have had a lot to do with it.

You’ve described “This Feeling” as a “life-affirming” track — a celebration of simply being alive. Can you talk about a specific moment or experience that inspired that outlook?

It’s the little moments. I don’t know about anyone else but often how I feel has little to do with what’s happening around me. I’ve always felt like that to a degree. I can be somewhere that’s supposed to be exhilarating and be nonplussed by it all and I can be doing something supposedly mundane and feel completely alive.. There’s just a flow of energy some days in life, where things feel just right. So it’s more about those moments where you have a clarity and enjoyment of life, in the moment… However fleeting they may be.

There’s a definite “Roses” vibe to the song — that blend of indie swagger and danceable energy. How did you go about capturing that balance in the studio?

To be fair it was always gonna be a light production. The feel of it was about simplicity. Most of the ideas were in place from playing it live numerous times already, but it was about capturing the right energy to it. So it’s thanks to James Fosbury at Big Dog Studios, who produced it, for that. We bounced ideas off each other and I’m really happy with the finished article of it.

Having experienced both sold-out gigs and the pressures of band life, how different does it feel out on your own this time around?

It’s different cos you’re not part of something with others, although live it feels pretty much that way, as I play with a full band who have become pretty regular member-wise over the last year or so. But it’s more chilled in a directional sense, because I’m steering wherever I wanna go and how fast.

Psychologically is probably the biggest difference. ‘Kartica’ was bigger than me, or any of the members in it, It was it’s own entity that we belonged to, but also could separate from ourselves. Now I’m “Mat Hook” I’m aware I’m representing more than music, it’s a living, breathing person.. with flaws.. And people have to buy into me. So there feels a bit more weight, exposure and pressure in that sense. But it is what it is I don’t get too wrapped up in that.

You’ve played live shows and released 6 records over the last two years. Is there more new material to come? — what can listeners expect from this evolving chapter of Mat Hook, both sonically and emotionally?

Yeah I’ve got about 4/5 songs already written still to record. The problem is financing the releases cos there’s just no real money in releasing music compared to the costs to produce and promote it. So maybe I’ll wait a while to release more…

To be honest the music sonically and emotionally.. I am what I am and likely ain’t gonna change too much. I’m pretty disconnected to whatever trends etc that are current. To be perfectly honest I’ve got no interest in much of the culturally relevant stuff of today. I’m not trying to find a place in that bracket. I’m just making music that fulfills me, expresses my joys and pain, hopes and fears.. and reminds me where home is.