Sound Republic: Album Reviews

Matt Tonks - Synaesthesia

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By Brad Treeby
10 January 2007

Album Rating: 4.5 / 5

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Matt Tonks

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Synaesthesia

The debut LP for Matt Tonks, Synaesthesia, is a revitalizing listen.

In a musical era where there is unprecedented access to recording equipment and digital distribution, Synaesthesia is a revitalizing listen. The debut LP for Matt Tonks walks a blithe line between pop-rock and folk, and quickly establishes itself as an album that was worth making. Recorded and co-produced with Syd Green (iOTA) in a NSW farmhouse, the disk merges mature song-writing with velvety production. In fact the coherent musical journey presented means that listening to this album one too many times may inadvertently cement it as the soundtrack to some segment of your life.

Tonks has notably managed to bring together some really great songs, and Synaesthesia displays some musical chops that are no less impressive. Tracks like Good Head On Your Shoulders and Lover Don’t Leave draw comparisons to artists like Lior and an early David Gray. The strength and depth of Tonks song-writing ensures there is nothing even close to a ‘filler’ included on the disk. The stripped back tracks like Crack Up and Plugging Holes With Water really establish his ability as a songwriter and a performer. Underpinning everything is his vocal ability, something akin to a smoother Tim Rogers mixed with Paul Greene.

Seemingly flying under the radar of commercial success thus far, it is hard to imagine the independent Matt Tonks enjoying the same seclusion into the future. The strength and quality of Synaesthesia is unmistakeable, and this is an impressive debut.

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