I first heard the song “Mr. Pitiful” by Matt Costa on a playlist that a friend gave me and I immediately fell in love with it. Matt Costa is an artist known for his ability to write honest lyrics, accompanied by acoustic guitar melodies. When I sat down to listen to Costa’s newest album, Mobile Chateau, I fully expected the same kind of lighthearted, catchy music I had encountered earlier.
I was sadly disappointed. The catchiness of “Mr. Pitiful” is long gone, replaced with something I would describe as stereotypically indie. After the first three tracks, the songs start to blend together, with none of them really standing out. Out of the first three, only Drive and The Season are somewhat close to the Matt Costa that I was familiar with. I really do want to like this CD. I tried very hard. But, in the end, there is nothing here to differentiate it from the plethora of other indie bands out there.Costa’s first attempt at producing his own album falls far short of what I would expect from a musician of his caliber. Hopefully we will be able to expect a future return to the Matt Costa we are familiar with.
