Matthew and the Mainstream, the solo project from Los Angeles singer-songwriter Matthew Lurie has released his new album, Rom Core today. Recorded over the course of three years, from Spring 2018 to Fall 2021 at Thundershirt Studios, in Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA, the album was inspired by the session musician ecosystem that allowed Brian Wilson, Jon Brion, and Stevie Wonder to make their best work. For his second full-length album, Lurie sought out the best musicians in the city to breathe life into his teenage symphonies, which found him working with a long list of collaborators and friends.
Guitars and bass on the album are by Tim Young, drums by Scott Seiver, backing vocals by Seiver, Young, and Lurie. Keys are 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.
Produced by Thundershirt, Young and Seiver’s newly formed production team, the album features contributions from Larry Goldings (James Taylor, Scary Pockets), Reggie Watts (The Late Late Show with James Corden), Sebastian Steinberg (Blake Mills, Sara Watkins), Isaiah Gage (FINNEAS, John Legend, Van Dyke Parks) and Steve Scalfati (Ginuwine, The Long Winters). A deep dive into the world of online and offline dating, Rom Core is a tribute to the lonely and overly sensitive, following in the tradition of power pop greats Scritti Politti, Jellyfish, and that dog.
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.