Out today! Mattiel, the already critically lauded Atlanta-based band fronted by charismatic 26-year old frontwoman Mattiel Brown, have released Satis Factory, co-produced by Randy Michael and Jonah Swilley. Today the band also share the dazzling video (featuring both Mattiel and her mom!) for the dazzling third single from the album, the impressive talking blues number “Food For Thought.”
An art director for a tech company prior to focusing on the band full time, the video was co-directed by Mattiel herself and oft-collaborator Jason Travis.
Mattiel said: “We shot the video in a suburban home in Alabama, and I stayed up late the night before making these colorful jello platters inspired by 70’s cookbooks. It was a rushed job, but I had a lot of fun with it and thankfully the jello didn’t fall apart. Jason came over the next day and we shot as much as we could for the next two days. We both filled the role of, like, eight crew members. Jason was camera operator, director, DP, lighting grip, and editor. I took on the location scouting, set dressing, food styling, my own hair and makeup and wardrobe. I guess when there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Speaking on the song itself, Mattiel notes: “This song came to life when (guitarist and songwriting partner) Jonah (Swilley) sent me a song with this super-catchy baseline intro. It reminds of someone tiptoeing up to a podium to give a speech. And it did become a spoken-word piece. The lyrics are a reaction to my childhood memories of watching my friends become brainwashed into particular kind of life. I question a lot of those values. In a broad sense, it’s important to remember to find my own truth, and to maintain self-awareness when encountering regurgitated information. It can be tempting to conform.“
Working their way around the country before heading off to the UK where they’re A-listed on the BBC’s Radio6 Music and will play not once, but twice, at Glastonbury, the world’s largest music festival, Mattiel’s b is shaping up to be a summer sensation in the UK and Europe. Satis Factory is the band’s second full length, but first for ATO Records.
