Though Matt's straight from Canada, it sounds as if he should have been rai… Read Full Bio ↴Though Matt's straight from Canada, it sounds as if he should have been raised across the border in Detriot. He creates sinuous grooves based on acoustic guitar riffs or the kind of electric piano sounds that used to fill records in the 1970s, then sings over them in a tenor voice full of sand and butterscotch. York sounds like the sort of artist who developed his tastes listening to old records and never heard anything made after about 1975. Music fans who feel the same way, and who have spent decades wondering why nobody makes albums like that any more, will be happy to hear him.

After navigating his way through the music world on his own steam for two years and getting a taste of both its luster and seedy underbelly, Matt was beginning to feel the effects of the road. Rather than take a break, Matt responded by pairing up with some friends and exceptional songwriters: Brad Stella and Joel Parisien (NewWorldSon) to craft a selection of tracks for his latest project. Those connections, and Matt’s habit of locking himself in a Toronto rehearsal space for weeks on end, resulted in twenty new songs and a rekindled fire in the belly. In February of 2008, Matt went back in the studio with producer and longtime friend Justin Koop (Tomi Swick, St. Alvia Cartel, NewWorldSon) to begin working on his sophomore release – “Mine.” Six months of work and eleven final tracks later, “Mine” is ready to fill the ears of the masses. Matt York's music will make you think, feel, dance, sing out loud until it hurts, and then do it all over again. The new album, along with his new five-piece band, has even further confirmed that Matt York isn’t just another singer-songwriter.

“I grew up listening to the Motown and gospel that my mom and dad would listen to around the house,” says Matt. “In high school, when all of my friends were listening to Nirvana, I was listening to Stevie and Rare Earth. My dad’s a high school music teacher and accomplished violinist, and when he’d work long hours after school (I went to the same high school he taught at… it was awesome….), I’d sit in the music room and play guitar for hours each night. My dad would be there to help me if I didn’t know certain chords, but I never took one lesson. I just learned the songs I loved after school every day.”

Some highlights include:

- Matt’s first album, “Under the Streetlights,” sold nearly 8,000 copies worldwide.

- In 2006, Matt got picked up by Japanese label Entak/Universal. His single “Hey Love” charted in the Top 20 on Tokyo radio charts for nearly seven weeks.

- In 2006 and 2007, Matt hit the top three in the Canadian Radio Start Competition run by Mix 99.9 (now Virgin Radio) for his songs “That’s Life” and “Lucky Man.”

- In 2007, Matt was nominated for three TIMA (Toronto Independant Music Awards) including “Best Male Acoustic” and “Best Song.”

Matt has shared stages with Andy Stochansky, Tomi Swick, Justin Nozuka, Allanah Myles, Matthew Barber, G. Love and Special Sauce, State Radio, The Alternate Routes, and Ryan Montbleau to name a few.

- Matt has already showcased at the 2008 CMJ Music Marathon in NYC at Sullivan Hall.

- Matt’s new album “Mine” has been picked up by US-based Indie label Rock Ridge Music and is slated for digital release November 4, 2008. All US Stores will carry it on January 20, 2009. Distribution to Europe will follow.

- “Tomorrow,” the first single off of “Mine,” has already been picked up by thirteen major radio stations across Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia including CBC Radio 2.

- Matt’s songs have been placed in numerous films and television programs, most notably on PBS’s “Road Trip Nation” and just recently on “The New Indie” where three of Matt’s songs were picked for placement.

- Matt’s first EP sold nearly 5000 copies just from side-stage sales. Matt hand-made each one and sold them while on tour across North America.

- Matt recently received an endorsement from Cole Clark Guitars.

“Mine” will be released in Canada on November 7th with a tour of North America to follow. For more information on Matt and the band, visit www.matt-york.com or www.myspace.com/mattyork.

Let me go
Matt York Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Once there was a day
We were together all the way
An endless path unbroken
But now there is a time
A torture less sublime
Our souls are locked and frozen

Once we were years ahead but now those thoughts are dead

Let me go
All hopeless fantasies are making fools of me
Let me go
I walk alone and yet I never say goodbye
Let me go
A change of heart a change of mind and heaven fell that night
Let me go

I tried but could not bring
The best of everything
Too breathless then to wonder
I died a thousand times
Found guilty of no crime
Now everything is thunder

Daytime all I want is
Nighttime I don't need the
Daytime all I want is
Nighttime I don't need the

The best years of our lives
The hope of it survives
The facts of life unspoken
The only game in town
I'll turn the last card down
And now the bank is broken

Found guilty of no crime

They were the best years of our lives
I'll turn the last card down

Overall Meaning

In "Let Me Go" by Matt York, the singer is reflecting on a lost love that they are struggling to move on from. The song opens by reminiscing on a past where they were together and the future was promising. However, the song shifts to the present, where things have changed and their love is now a burden. The line "our souls are locked and frozen" suggests that they are emotionally paralyzed and unable to move forward.

As the song continues, the singer acknowledges that they are stuck in a loop. They pine for their lost love and daydream about how things could have been different. The repeated refrain "let me go" suggests that the singer is aware of this futility and wants to move on, but they can't seem to shake their feelings. The line "I walk alone and yet I never say goodbye" encapsulates this sentiment. The singer is alone, but they can't bring themselves to fully let go of their former partner.

The final verse of the song describes the singer's resignation. They acknowledge that the best years of their life are behind them and that they can't turn back time. The line "the bank is broken" suggests that the singer has invested too much energy into this relationship and lost everything in the process. The song concludes with the line "I'll turn the last card down," implying that the singer is done holding onto hope and is finally ready to move on.

Line by Line Meaning

Once there was a day
There was a day when we were happy together

We were together all the way
We were always together and happy

An endless path unbroken
Our happiness seemed to have no end in sight

But now there is a time
But now we have come to a time

A torture less sublime
Where the agony we feel is not as great as it once was

Our souls are locked and frozen
We are emotionally cold towards each other and our relationship is stagnant

Once we were years ahead but now those thoughts are dead
We used to plan a bright future together, but those plans no longer exist

Let me go
I want to move on and end this relationship

All hopeless fantasies are making fools of me
My unrealistic dreams are causing me to look foolish

I walk alone and yet I never say goodbye
I am ready to move on, but I cannot bring myself to officially end things

A change of heart a change of mind and heaven fell that night
I had a sudden change of heart and mind, and it caused our relationship to fall apart

Daytime all I want is Nighttime I don't need the Daytime all I want is Nighttime I don't need the
I feel conflicted about wanting to be with someone during the day, but not necessarily at night

The best years of our lives
The happiest years of our lives

The hope of it survives
There is still hope that we can recapture the happiness we once had

The facts of life unspoken
We are avoiding confronting the harsh realities of our relationship

The only game in town
Our relationship was the most important thing in our lives

I'll turn the last card down
I am done trying to make things work

And now the bank is broken
Our relationship has come to a complete end

Found guilty of no crime
I did not do anything wrong to cause our relationship to fail

They were the best years of our lives
Despite our relationship ending badly, we still had some happy memories together

I'll turn the last card down
I am done trying to make things work

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLEN GREGORY, IAN MARSH, MARTYN WARE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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