Premiere: 16-Year-Old Birmingham Prodigy Matt Ryder Debuts With “Breakdown”

Self-awareness isn’t always an easy thing. It’s equally hard to be aware of what you have in that very moment, rather than growing old and looking back wistfully at days gone by. So you have to respect people like emerging Brummie talent Matt Ryder who is not only able to be present and appreciate the world around him, he was also able to articulate it perfectly on his debut single “Breakdown”. Written, recorded and produced entirely by the man himself, the taut indie track shows an impressive level of emotional maturity — and musicianship, of course — and leaves us hoping he’ll have a long and fruitful career ahead of him.

Speaking with Complex via email, Matt explained: “The song’s main musical features hark back to a time described as more simple and ‘the good old days’, but the lyrics address what feels like a more relevant issue/message to teenagers today. The truth is that it’s always happening, and what feels terrible now will one day become our ‘good old days’. Be grateful for the ‘pain’ we experience now because it will, one day, feel like the best days our our lives.”