Dennis the Menace
& KUSF Present
Matthew Sweet
Death On Two Wheels

MATTHEW SWEET: SUNSHINE LIES
Produced by: Matthew Sweet
Release Date: August 26, 2008

Looking back on the creation of the stunningly accomplished new Sunshine Lies, his tenth studio album and first for Shout! Factory, Matthew Sweet asserts that never before has he felt “so unencumbered.” This newfound freedom he's experiencing stems in part from the intersection of rapidly advancing modern technology and the ancient art of pottery, Matthew's part-time passion for the last several years, bringing an elaborate immediacy to his creative process—which is why Sunshine Lies is such a kick in the head.

While Sweet has continued to make provocative and extremely personal albums during this decade, he hasn't sounded so charged up in at least that long. “Now, I feel really free when I work,” he says, not trying to hide his elation. “It's easy and I have a good time. This record has come together in a way that it feels like this special little trip with some magic in it—moments where, to me, it gets crazy-great.”

Without warning, this consummate artist just may have made the album of his life, not by consciously trying to recapture the brilliance of his three milestones, Girlfriend, Altered Beast and 100% Fun, but simply by following his big heart, while hot-wiring the process between inspiration and execution so that there's no longer any distance between them. With tongue only partly in cheek, Matthew describes the new record's sound as “power-pop-folk-rock-psychedelic-melodic-singer-songwriter-type stuff.” That turns out to be an accurate general description, but the real intrigue is in the details. By turns achingly melodic and drivingly visceral, Sunshine Lies swirls with relatable emotion and bad-ass attitude, seamlessly incorporating the artist's expansive aesthetic from one end (poetry) to the other (noise).