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Matthieu Mendes
It is in his electronic Montmartre bed-sit cluttered with guitar cases, keyboards, cable and a precariously balanced computer, that Mendès recorded his debut demo album with craft : "All the takes were done here, with a mattress against the wall to avoid echo..."
22 year-old DIY Mendès is not only a singer-songwriter, but also a qualified sound eengineer. He owned his first guitar at 8, did 4 years of classical training and was member of a multitude of "Metal Rock" bands. A typical curses for a teenager, fan of Metallica and Nirvana, playing at guitar heroes in front of the mirror, miming the riffs of Muse, Incubus, or Linkin Park...
But Matthieu's ambition is to mix his passion for US rock with his french culture. He signs a publishing deal with peermusic and works hard to produce 12 tracks for a debut album on Marc Lumbroso's label.
First impressions of Matthieu's songs : good rock with full on guitars, catchy tunes, everything is in there. Beyond the tales of teenage romance and passionate love (Elle, Mon Ange), a different facet emerges throughout the 12 tracks comprising the album. Songs like Obsession or Je me sens mal enlighten the darker side of an author. "It's true that subjects such as unhappiness ans schyzophrenia interests me. I am a very anxious person who doubts even if i don't always show it". In Dernier Voyage, the character holds a conversation with death. Wake me up traces the story of a girl abandoned by her father. Petit Ingrat denigrates easy money and the arrogance that goes with it. Toi encore evokes the loss of a loved one, and the subsequent missing and loneliness.
"My goal is to rival with the Americans, try and make things evolved here. For me, being an artist means doing everything yourself. If it doesn't work out, it can only be y own fault".
Having damaged his eardrum during a concert, he now has a tinnitus in his ear, a flat E tinnitus he specifies... Waiting for it to heal, he laughs at a thought that "Tinnitus" would be a great album title. And it means as long as i'm not deaf, I'll continue!!".
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