Raves From The Fader, Pitchfork, Vice, Stereogum, Wall Street Journal + More For Matthew Stevens' New Album 'Preverbal' (Ropeadope) That "Advances The Ideals Of Modern Jazz"

Guitarist and composer Matthew Stevens’ new album ‘Preverbal’ is out now on Ropeadope and has been met with career-best raves from Pitchfork, The Fader, Vice, Stereogum, the Wall Street Journal and more.

A deep exploration of electric guitar in a trio setting, ‘Preverbal’ teeters on the edges of experimental, instrumental rock and jazz. Stevens is known for his longtime collaboration with Christian Scott and playing a key role in Esperanza Spalding’s ‘Emily’s D+ Evolution’ release from last year, but also for his own work as a bandleader and ‘Preverbal’ is gaining considerable attention.

Matthew and his trio will perform their CD release show at NYC’s NuBlu on Saturday, April 15th. They also just performed a live 3-song session with an interview on WNYC’s Soundcheck that will be archived shortly.

He’s released two hazy and intimate videos that he filmed of the band working their way through songs off the album. Watch them at Stereogum: http://www.stereogum.com/1931362/ugly-beauty-the-month-in-jazz-march-2017/franchises/ugly-beauty/

and Vice Noisey: https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/matt-stevenss-guitar-will-introduce-you-to-dulcet-tones-you-never-knew-existed

And in February he unveiled his collaboration with Esperanza Spalding, who lent her vocals to the final track on the album, ‘Our Reunion,’ read more at The Fader: http://www.thefader.com/2017/03/01/matthew-stevens-esperanza-spalding-our-reunion

and Pitchfork: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/18842-matthew-stevens-our-reunion-ft-esperanza-spalding/

PRAISE FOR ‘PREVERBAL’:

"Less a song and more a total soul cleanse...undeniable virtuosity..." - THE FADER

"...honest and soulful..." - PITCHFORK

 “Matthew Stevens guitar will introduce you to dulcet tones you never knew existed…something that expands your sense of what music and sounds are out there.” – Vice Noisey

“Stevens’ style is pretty but loud…even when he settles down a bit, there’s always a little bite to his tone, and a sense that he could erupt at a moment’s notice.” – STEREOGUM

"This music advances the ideals of modern jazz..." - NATE CHINEN, NPR/WBGO 

“Mr. Stevens knows how pop songs work, yet seems ever eager to explode them into less obvious creations.” – WALL STREET JOURNAL

“A skilled sound manipulator, spinning delicate webs between jazz, rock, groove, and experimental music.” - WNYC

“You’ve got that excitement of improvisation but you’ve also got the thrilling style of composition that doesn’t fit into any kind of genre and I think that’s one of the beautiful things about it.” - JAMIE CULLUM, BBC RADIO 2

"Preverbal is a noisy, spiky, cerebral affair...Angular riffs and oblique chords from his trio smoulder and churn...visceral excitement." -THE TIMES (UK)

“Stevens’ singular style dissolves the demarcation lines separating jazz, rock and ambient music…he leads a power trio that can deftly blend brutal, granite riffs with a meditative, gossamer-like lyricism.” – MOJO/4 stars

TOUR DATES:

4/15 – Nublu – NY, NY (CD release show)

4/28 - Art of Cool Festival - Durham, NC

Order the album here: http://bit.ly/Preverbal

http://mattstevensmusic.com/