Matt Pryor: May Day

Matt Pryor
May Day
Nightshoes Syndicate Records [2012]









Fire Note Says: The Get Up Kid, Matt Pryor, once again ventures out with a solid acoustic driven solo set which shines around every corner!

Album Review:
The Get Up Kids frontman Matt Pryor returns here with his sophomore solo outing titled May Day that is another exciting success story from a Kickstarter campaign. Having your record funded by fans must make an artist feel appreciated so it only makes sense that a high level of quality is returned. With May Day, Matt Pryor definitely will make his followers and backers proud!

May Day follows the same simple acoustic guitar steps found on his solo debut Confidence Man [2008] and once again shines a light on Pryor's songwriting talent. With that said, the listener will know if they are on board with Pryor right away because there is no place for him to hide and that is what makes May Day the bright and engaging listen that it is.

Opening track "Don't Let The Bastards Get You Down" is a motivating warm song that kicks the record off right by sending the message to hold your head high no matter what while the stand out song "Where Do We Go From Here" is a nice upbeat foot tapper that incorporates piano and hooks you with its catchy chorus.

Pryor's ability as a songwriter continues to just get better as May Day offers an in depth personal look that every listener can relate to on some level or some point in their life. This is the connection that made Confidence Man work so well and it is the same resurrected connection here that makes May Day a success. In a music scene that is deep with all sorts of singer/songwriter types, Matt Pryor takes a seat at the head of the class with May Day and it easily represents one of the best items Kickstarter has funded so far in 2012!

Key Tracks: "Don't Let The Bastards Get You Down", "Where Do We Go From Here", "Your New Favorite"

Bands With Similar Fire:
I Build Collapsible Mountains
Eulogies
Rocky Votolato

The Get Up Kids: There Are Rules [Fire Note Review 1/27/11]
The Get Up Kids: Simple Science [EP] [Fire Note Review 5/13/10]
Matt Pryor: Confidence Man [Fire Note Review 7/25/08]
The New Amsterdams: At The Foot Of My Rival [Fire Note Review 9/25/07]

Matt Pryor Website
Matt Pryor Facebook

-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony