By Linc Bradham
Matt Tarka has a penchant for a type of songwriting that works only with his voice, and that is a beautiful thing. In fact, it is the mark of an artist who is well on his, her, or their way to carving out a niche that will fulfill a need for something truly special and real.
Tarka is already there, and you can’t help but tap your foot and smile when listening to him serenade you. Hailing from Lancaster, PA, Tarka is a singer-songwriter who, while his uniqueness cannot be understated, draws upon the inspiration of such varied acts as The Mountain Goats, The Tallest Man on Earth, and Tom Petty. It would be remiss to synthesize Tarka’s music down to just these influences, though, and to truly experience Tarka’s art, you’ve got to just listen – preferably while driving down the highway on a bright and sunny day.
The cycles of life are something special – we all experience them, but each of us makes sense of them in our own individual way. In his latest single, “Heartbreak & Euphoria,” Matt sings to us about these cycles in a way that is not only inspiring, but enthusiastic for a brighter future.
When he remarks, “make concessions, forgive the past…regain your footing and what you knew” it’s hard not to feel comforted and reassured, all to the backdrop of one of the most roadworthy upbeat alternative rock singles we’ve heard all year. Take your time and take it in, and see and hear right here why Matt Tarka’s newest single “Heartbreak & Euphoria” is one we’ll have on repeat for the rest of the summer, and maybe even for the rest of the year.
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Linc Bradham is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, audio engineer, and songwriter originally from Savannah, GA. He has resided in the DMV for the last three years and has served in the active-duty Army for the last 12 years. He is in the process of switching Army careers into the Army Field Band as an audio engineering professional, with long-term goals of promoting music education in America and the Middle East.
After AFI DOCS’s departure, the capital city once again has a documentary festival.
Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
