Sound Of Contact's Matt Dorsey announces new solo album

Matt Dorsey
(Image credit: Matt Dorsey)

Sound Of Contact multi-instrumentalist Matt Dorsey has announced that he will release a new solo album, Let Go, on April 7.

The eight-song collection, cited as "a blend of all the artists and bands that influenced him including Rush, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, XTC, The Police, Peter Gabriel, Steely Dan and more..." sees Dorsey joined by drummers Marco Minnemann and Jonathan Mover as well as SoC colleague Dave Kerzner.

Dorsey himself sings and plays guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion and, on two of the songs, the drums as well.

Let Go is a collection of songs that cover many aspects of life," Dorsey explains. "I studied philosophy in college and the first song I wrote following my studies was Man, which is something of a summary of the human condition and a celebration of the mystery and miracle of human existence. Following my college days, I shifted my focus from western to eastern philosophy and you can hear a sense of that influence in the song Echo which expresses a deep connection with all living things.

"Let Go, too, is a reflection of the eastern philosophical tradition expressing a sort of taoist disposition toward the flow of things and a zen-like non-attachment. Waiting For The Fall and Castles Made Of Sand are a bit darker, expressing a more existential despair, the one about perpetual failure and the other about the fleeting nature of time. But, to round the album out, Compromise, Dangerous and Impossible Friends are more straight-forward love songs. Life is many things. Art should reflect that. Let Go is an album about the philosophy of life.”

Let Go was recorded almost entirely at Dorsey’s home studio in Orange County, except for the drum tracks provided by Minnemann and Mover, and the keyboard solo by Kerzner. The album was mixed by Matt and mastered by Andy VanDette. The album artwork, which you can view below, was created by Ed Unitsky.

Pre-order Let Go.

Matt Dorsey

(Image credit: Matt Dorsey)

Matt Dorsey: Let Go
1. Castles Made of Sand
2. Compromise
3. Waiting for the Fall
4. Man
5. Impossible Friends
6. Echo
7. Let Go
8. Dangerous

Jerry Ewing

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.