this is where I will post about things happening in my life, among other various updates.



"the summer ends"

[2024/10/01 @ 2:37am]

    fall's fully in, and in just under a month since the books arrived on my doorstep from the printing press, the reception to soft city has been more loving than I could have ever anticipated. I've sold about 80 of the initial 100 copies to friends, loved ones, even total strangers from my bar and the internet. people text me that they've been re-reading specific poems, underlining passages, circling strange words——truly and intimately interacting with my little piece of creation. it's quite a nice feeling. equally neat is the idea that——thanks to the hardworking folks at USPS——this book has now made its way to every corner of the country (15+ states), as well as the UK and Japan. one of my friends even took it with him on a trip to Paris and Leipzig. it's so surreal to have disseminated a shard of my brain to so many beautiful parts of the world simultaneously. my only hope is that people will continue to enjoy it while I spend yet another five years (ideally less) working on the follow-up.
   though jokes aside, I like to think this is just the beginning of something more enduring; I am already in talks with a handful of friends about publishing their works as well, and maybe this will become something more than just "the matt show". I guess we'll see. anyway, there are still a few copies available right here on this website, and if you are considering purchasing one, I would act soon because I'm not sure I'll have the energy to print a second run of them, nor do I like the idea of making the PDF/e-book digitally available. it is very much a work of text begetting a physical manifestation.
   in other news, this means I will now have to resume work on the next ghost park album, because if I remain stagnant for too long without feeling productive or creative, my brain will try to annihilate itself. the songs are essentially done and are roughly mixed, and all songs but one have lyrics written and vocals recorded. I am also trying to wrangle two of my friends to lay some girl vocals down on these songs, which may take time. I am doubtful this album will be finished by the end of this year, which bothers me as I do not enjoy when I fail to meet expectations or deadlines, even if they are ones I set myself. regardless, I think these are some of the coolest songs I've ever made——very heavy, very dark, very morose——and I look forward to their eventual release into the world.
   that's all for now. thank you for your time.

     ——matt ♥



"an update on soft city"

[2024/08/08 @ 3:45pm]

    just moments ago I received a nondescript little parcel from UPS containing a single unbound proof of my new book. it is a very special feeling to be holding in my hand the physical actualization of this years-long project. as if a chapter has closed and a weight has lifted. I am quite pleased with the quality of the book. it looks beautiful, exactly as I had envisioned. and now that I have seen and felt the difference in quality between a print-on-demand piece of junk versus a professionally printed book, I have no qualms about the additional costs incurred from working with this printing press as opposed to the nightmare that is amazon or ingramspark.
   the full run of books should be at my doorstep within a week and be shipping out shortly thereafter. not quite in time for my birthday on monday, but close enough that it still feels like a gift, an accomplishment to close out what felt for once like a moderately pleasant year. I will probably bring copies of the book to sell in person at the two bars I work at, like a shady little side hustle. if you know me in real life, feel free to come by and I would be happy to give you one. other than that, I have little else to report. I hope everyone is doing well.
   that's all for now. thank you for your time.

     ——matt ♥



"a new home"

[2024/07/17 @ 4:04am]

    I suppose this unhinged, rambling passage will have to serve as the first entry in my blog. two days ago, I started teaching myself html and began coding this website. I'm sure much of it will change with time and a refinement of coding skills, but for now I am happy with its unpolished charm.
   the initial impetus for its creation was to make a host site for my new book, one that I am in full creative control of. I don't have much interest in using these increasingly prevalent, increasingly bland prefabricated websites like squarespace, wix, etc. that are so devoid of any semblance of character or identity as to be inherently offputting. I get a headache just from looking at those soft earthtone colors and that one awful font that reeks of millennial yuppie-ism. you know that one they use in every subway ad to hock some useless product that costs 5x more than the one from your local value store because it has ~good graphic design~? I hate it. and it would be a disservice to the time and thought and effort I put into my book to then host it on a site that lacks time and thought and effort.
   at the same time, I would rather be hanged in the town square than distribute my book through something as deeply evil as amazon. amazon is a parasitic nightmare and I don't really have the time or energy at this moment to go into any further depth on the irreversible damage they have done to the book industry, worker's rights, or human society as a whole. sure, amazon could've printed my book for 1/4 the cost that I got from my local printer, but even ignoring my disdain for their business practices, I've seen those on-demand printed books and they look/feel like cheap garbage. I would feel much better from a moral standpoint (and more justified in my disdain) if I were to pay a real business with real human employees to craft something with care, even if it means comparatively breaking the bank. and it breaks my heart to know that I am in the small minority of writers who hold this belief.
   anyway, this revulsion somehow led me to neocities, where its freedom from the confines of the ever-depressing modern web felt almost revolutionary, like I'm in some rebel camp fighting against an authoritarian regime. deep down I admittedly must have some nostalgic attachment to the lovingly hand-crafted websites of the early 2000s, and so I have built my website to reflect this aesthetic while still (hopefully) remaining somewhat usable, navigable, and informative.
   that's all for now. thank you for your time.

     ——matt ♥

























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