Matt Carstens releases new single, ‘High’

In case you did not know, Matt Carstens is a talented 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Gordon’s Bay in South Africa. His infectious indie-pop hits and electric acoustic ballads have taken the nation by storm.

Matt is authentic, honest, infinitely listenable and his music is well-produced. His beautifully written songs enjoy constant airplay. It’s earned him a spot of honour among the country’s most promising up-and-coming musicians.

More info about Matt Carstens

Matt originally burst onto the scene in 2016. He played lively and versatile performances of original compositions and well-known covers at prestigious festivals like InniBos, Strab and Up the Creek. He’s shared the stage with heavyweights like Majozi, Spoegwolf and Die Heuwels Fantasties. He recorded a full-length album ‘2D Heart’ in 2017, receiving outstanding reviews.

In the same year he won the both Rock Rumoer (an annual battle of the bands at InniBos festival) and #VanCokeColab. The latter afforded him the opportunity to collaborate with Francois van Coke on a single ‘Broken Society’. This set the pace for the pop-dominant sound that has since become synonymous with his brand.

Matt’s latest single, ‘High’, was written about love that is doomed to fail. Although this can seem like pretty grim subject matter, he set out to explore the notion in positive ways as well.

“The main message is that we should all try to live in the moment despite our fear of getting hurt or being unsure of the future,” says Matt. “Pain is hard to deal with, but it is also a very important part of the spectrum of human emotion; we all share it and the best way to deal with it is to find a way to grow from it. In the end, we should respect ourselves, live with as few regrets as we can and learn not to neglect our own wellbeing when focussing on that of another.”

Peach van Pletzen (Planet Awesome Studios), who produced ‘High’, had a great time in studio with Matt.

“Matt was one of the easiest guys to work with in studio. He has great vocal tone and delivery and is tight on the guitar. This made my job very easy! He also a super talented songwriter to boot.”

‘High’ has already been playlisted on major international retail shops, Radiowave (Namibia), charting on MFM, TUKS FM, 2oceansvibe Radio, PUK FM and many more. It’s available to stream / download on Apple Music / iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, Google Play and Soundcloud.

Crank it up below:

Catch Matt Carstens live in September 2019 at one of these venues:

• 14 September – Triggerfish (Somerset West)
• 18 September – Mojo Market (Sea Point)
• 19 September – Brick Lane Eatery (Century City) 
• 20 September – Mujō Bar & Restaurant (George)
• 22 September – The Strawberry Festival (George)
• 27 September – Blue Roof Pub & Grill (Fisherhaven)
• 28 September – Jack Black Brewery (Diep River)
• 29 September – The Whale Festival (Hermanus)

Watch this space for updates in the Music News category on Running Wolf’s Rant.