As recently as 2019, rumors were circling the Blog of Wax community that Matty P had officially retired his much-maligned Karaoke Hottiez moniker. Well wax-heads, I’m pleased to announce that reports of the Hottiez’ demise were greatly exaggerated. Really, who cares if this is the worst band name you’ve ever heard? The human race has reached escape velocity for band names. New groups choose their name like people choose their online password: one capital letter, one symbol, and no fewer than eight characters. At least it isn’t a pun.
You know you’re getting old when the definitions of genres you grew up with change before your eyes. I’ve witnessed pop-punk morph into SoundCloud rap while lo-fi has become an acid-jazz-trip-hop amalgamation. I’m not mad per se, but it sure makes it hard to have a conversation – unless it’s just me yelling at the clouds. Damn kids. That’s why “High & Wide” hits such a sonic nostalgia for me, buzzing with a traditional layer of lo-fi 4-track tape hiss and causing the listener to hear things that aren’t even there. Much like that old trope of New York City as a character in the movies, here the 4-Track becomes an instrument.
I hear “High & Wide” as a lo-fi tootsie pop, with a rewardingly muddy center of acoustic guitar covered in a candy-coated shell of a treble-heavy organ. It’s a democratically run palette, one that eschews modern compression techniques to allow the instruments to fill up the sonic space wherever they’ll fit. This charming aesthetic is accentuated by The Hottiez’ waltz-time rhythm, one that lulls us deep into a groove only to shake us with a chorus that adds an extra beat. This songwriting device, at once subtle and challenging, shows the strength of Matty P’s writing.
Whether you’re a basic hottie that lovez karaoke or a fan of Dr. Dog’s scrappier early recordings, you’ll want to start an impromptu public slow dance with “High & Wide.”