Matty Groves

Matty, your new album 'Aurelia' is a rich tapestry of psychedelic-folk and prog-rock influences. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the single ‘Disillusion’ and how it fits within the album’s broader narrative?

Dipping into the overall message and themes of ‘Aurelia’, Disillusion re-enforces the notion of accepting people for who they are, being slow to judgement and to not condemn people based on assumptions as the lyrics state “Don’t criticize the victims of your mind, don’t incarcerate them for your crimes. You sit and wonder who’s at blame yet you’re the same.” This concept of preconceived bias towards people is a major theme throughout the whole concept of this project which will be more evident within my upcoming extended rock-opera version of ‘Aurelia’ unpacking these themes in depth.

I was heavily Inspired by the ideas surrounding the zeitgeist of the 60s/70s psychedelic folk movement. Many artists from this movement use music as a vehicle to challenge listeners to consider ideas of peace, freedom, and acceptance during the Vietnam war. I firmly believe that there are a lot of parallels with the state of the world today as we still have issues of conflict in many hotspots across the globe. This directly ties into the themes of preconceived bias towards people which is expressed throughout ‘Aurelia’.

‘Disillusion’ ties into the album’s broader narrative as featured in my upcoming Rock Opera/Musical ‘Aurelia and the Midnight Sun’ set to be released this Halloween. ‘Disillusion’ is the 11 o’clock number (climax) of the show and is directly relevant to the plot of the show.

Set in a fantasy world reminiscent of the druids, ‘Aurelia and the Midnight Sun’ follows the journey of protagonist Aurelia; the first human in a world called Ethus where inhabitants consist of Wizards, Mystics and Witches. Aurelia is conjured into the planet ‘Ethus’ by a dark wizard by the name of Dellpho. The Dark wizard Dellpho’s scheme is to rule the 10 Kingdoms of Ethus by using Aurelia as a means to achieve this goal… as the ancient prophecy claims that…

“Upon the midnight sun the first mere mortal born of blood and dust shell be conjured by the forbidden magic. The 10 kingdoms of the Ethus realm shell have a new monarch to lead Ethus into a new age”

Aurelia escapes from Dellpho and the plot follows her adventure as she travels through an unknown world meeting various characters along the journey.

The Music and Plot of ‘Aurelia and the Midnight Sun’ are intricately woven together as the lyrics of the songs share fragments of the story complemented by the in-depth script Narrated by Carole Ann Aylett Gill, a veteran of Australian theatre, pantomime, and television. Carole Ann’s narration with added music underscore featured in the upcoming extended soundtrack adds depth and life to the world of ‘Aurelia and the Midnight Sun’.

‘Children of The Wilderness’ seems to explore deep themes within its folk-prog sound. What message or story were you trying to convey through this track, and how does it relate to the rest of ‘Aurelia’?

Lyrically this song is also very tied into the plot of my upcoming rock opera and makes more sense in context of what’s happening at the given time within the production. The protagonist ‘Aurelia’ has escaped to the desert from the dark wizard Dellpho. Aurelia is parched and famished as she travels through the desert (the wilderness) and just when she is about to give up hope and be claimed by the desert, a local farmer by the name of Rivia (who later in the production becomes Aurelia’s love interest) aids her back to health (this happens with the lyrics ‘Hush now child, don’t you cry’). I hope listeners can take away a feeling of motivation from this song. Although life can be challenging as everyone has a metaphorical wilderness that they have to journey through, we can make it through together, I would hope that people can take away the idea that It’s not just a solo journey, there are people within our lives that can help us and we should also be there for others in their time of trials.

You’ve drawn inspiration from legendary artists like The Incredible String Band and Vashti Bunyan. How do you blend these influences with your own unique sound in ‘Aurelia’?

My music for this project is firmly rooted with these influences as these artists evoke a fantasy world within their music and lyrics, as my own production is set in a fantasy world this folk/prog style is synonymous with the genre. Specifically, The Incredible String Band and Vashti Bunyan are key musicians within the story and revival of folk music in a western contemporary context. I think that folk music today would look quite different without these artists. I have applied these traditions within my own work through using similar instrumentation such as flutes, sitar, mellotron, acoustic/nylon string guitars and using vocals as a means to tell a story.

The concept of a rock opera is ambitious and exciting. What led you to create a musical that extends beyond the album, and how will the release of this project on Halloween 2024 tie into its themes?

This project has always been primarily a Rock opera/Musical, having a background in theatre and music it has been my objective to merge my two passions in a unique way. My vision for this Show is to re-think what a traditional musical is. I focus heavily on the music, narration and dance telling the story rather than dialogue between characters. I hope to appeal to an audience that typically wouldn’t attend theatre hence why I have released the music as a stand-alone album before releasing the entire soundtrack. I have decided to finally release this body of work on Halloween to play on the epic and dark nature of the roots of prog-rock which is evident within my rock opera/musical.

Charlotte Rankin and Alex Flaskas bring a distinct dynamic to your music with their vocals and instrumentation. How do their contributions enhance the dreamy textures and storytelling within your tracks?

Charlotte Rankin’s rich yet delicate alto register is a huge part of my album adding another layer of depth and tone through her harmonies and execution of intricate melodies reminiscent of artists such as Bridgett St John and Linda Perhacs, while remaining unique. Her vocal solo in the song ‘La Luna’ shows off her distinctive style. The character ‘Aurelia’ within my rock-opera/musical is performed by Charlotte so whenever she sings, she is portraying this character. Alex’s saxophone performance adds a complex layer of detail to the mix. Alex’s raw talent expresses vast stylistic diversity throughout the album from hard-hitting prog rock screeching to gentle folk and to angular jazz licks. Having saxophone featured within the album emphasizes the prog-rock quality of the work taking inspiration from some of my prog-rock icons such as King Crimson and Synanthesia.

As someone deeply rooted in Naarm’s (Melbourne) underground music scene, how has your experience with Y STREET influenced your solo work in ‘Aurelia’? What challenges and rewards have you encountered in this transition?

I wouldn’t say that Aurelia is a transition away from Y STREET as we are still making music together, rather it’s a different expression of my music. Y STREET holds a very special place in my heart as it is where my music journey started to blossom and where we got our stripes within the Melbourne local scene. My experience playing and singing with Y STREET has helped me develop my musicianship and has been a place that I have felt totally free and encouraged to express myself through music, fashion, and art. We are currently in the process producing our much-anticipated debut Album that we hope to release very soon.