For those of you not in the know, a story of humble beginnings, Matt Simons grew up in Palo Alto as the grandson of two opera singers.

He spent much of his early life studying jazz and classical music before switching to clarinet and guitar, and ultimately crafted his own identity as a melodic pop songwriter and lyricist.

He took steps to self-promote his releases online, and to his surprise, a remix of his breakthrough single “Catch & Release” bubbled up organically and ended up as one off 2016’s biggest hits, reaching Gold and Platinum status.

International recognition, performances on The TODAY Show, and billions of streams followed.

And now Matt has just released his fourth studio album Identify Crisis, featuring his recent hit singles “Better Tomorrow,” “Cold,” and “Identity Crisis,” which have amassed over 50 million streams.

With sweet, piano-rooted melodies and lyrics that speak plainly about important events in his life — including his struggles with panic attacks — the album was written when COVID began its spread, giving him space and time to reflect.

Furthermore, Identity Crisis is a reflection of both his personal values and versatile musical style. In the six singles released from the album so far, Simons holds nothing back.

He dives into his struggles with mental health and panic attacks, while still delivering a hopeful message for listeners. Thus Identity Crisis features a wide range of styles, from upbeat pop tunes to stark recollections of Simons’ darkest moments.

1. Identity Crisis
2. Too Much
3. Cold
4. Better Tomorrow
5. In My Head - Interlude
6. Self Control
7. In Case You Missed It
8. Years
9. Always Have My Love
10. The Boxer

The album opens with the jaunty electro-pop vibe of the title track Identity Crisis and the pacy, pop-centric Too Much and backs those up with the shimmeringly translucent, chill-inducing Cold, the catchy, but importantly wholly inspiring Better Tomorrow, and then comes the powerfully crafted In My Head - Interlude.

Next up is the rhythmic, mid-tempo love song Self Control and the melodically beautiful, pop hipsway flow of In Case You Missed It, and they are in turn followed by the effervescent Years, the album rounding out with the soulfully melodic rhythms within Always Have My Love, coming to a close on the quietly soft, heartbeat baselined cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Boxer (featuring Chris Ayer).

Official Website

Official Purchase Link

Matt Simons @ Facebook

Matt Simons - Identity Crisis (Official Music Video)

Matt Simons - Too Much (Official Music Video)

Matt Simons - Better Tomorrow (Official Video)