Checking In with Matilda Bond

Hailing from the vibrant city of Brighton, the enchanting musical collective, Matilda Bond, is primed to mesmerize listeners with their latest single, ‘Meet Me In The Middle.’ Seamlessly intertwining the rich tapestries of jazz, soul, and pop, the collective has masterfully woven an immersive and captivating musical fusion that is bound to ignite a deep yearning for more. With irresistibly grooving beats, swirling and intoxicating melodies, and the soulful embrace of horn sections, ‘Meet Me In The Middle’ unfurls an enchanting sonic journey that blurs the boundaries between heartwarming and infectious, leaving an indelible imprint on the senses. 

We caught up with the person behind the project, Matilda, to discuss the evolution of the collective and their current inspirations.

The lyrics of ‘Meet Me In The Middle’ delve into the struggle of balancing multiple responsibilities and maintaining relationships. How do you find balance in your own life?

I wish I could say that I wake up everyday and do 20 minutes of yoga after taking a mindful dip in an ice bath or meditate by the sea with a matcha latte to find peace but, if I’m being realistic, the idea of doing any of those things stresses me out. I have always really struggled with balance and knowing where to focus my time and energy when there’s so much going on around me. I’m a bit of an up-down, east-west, hot-cold thinker, settling on a single thought or thing is next to impossible for me.  

Hence, ‘Meet Me In The Middle’. 

I wrote it hoping that the closest people in my life will find me somewhere in the middle of all of my personal chaos and that, at some point, I will figure out what balance looks like for me. 

In ‘Meet Me In The Middle,’ you express the desire for loved ones to understand and hold space for you during times when you can’t be fully present. How do you hope listeners will connect with this message, and what impact do you want the song to have on them?

I think the main message behind this song is one of compassion, of allowing yourself the grace to disconnect and be unavailable when you need to. There’s this idea that to be a good friend/family member/partner you have to be giving your undivided attention and love and not be the person that forgets stuff, that can’t always go to every event or that doesn’t call enough but, in reality, we are all just doing our best to show up where we can and that’s fine!

As you continue to evolve as artists, what themes or subjects do you hope to explore in your future releases? Are there any specific messages or stories you are eager to share through your music?

Like many others, songwriting is often my way of processing, understanding or releasing emotions. I don’t know when life is going to slap me in the face or kiss me on the cheek, I don’t know who I might lose, who I might fight with, who I might love intensely or what I might experience next so our future songs are mostly unpredictable. 

However, there are issues and messages that are close to my heart and always seem to find a way into our music. As a person who struggles with my mental health, it feels important for me to be honest and express the feelings that come about through this. This doesn’t always mean that our music will come out as sad/moody songs. In terms of right now, I feel like I’m coming into a brighter, happier period and that is most likely what will translate into our music next!

‘Long Lost’ marked a new era for Matilda Bond. Could you give us a glimpse into what this new era entails and how it sets the stage for your upcoming releases in 2023?

This year we have been pushing our boundaries, experimenting with new ideas, walking in and out of different genres and getting closer to the sound we’ve been looking to find for a while and it’s all very exciting! 

This is the first time we have ever released an independent EP/project. It’s been a while in the making and it feels so good to finally see our work coming to fruition. The EP is really a journey of emotions and I am so excited that our roller coaster ride will be out in the world soon. 

With our future releases this year, we are planning on exploring some new avenues and different kinds of releases…maybe an acapella track, who knows!

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations and goals as a musical collective? Are there any dream collaborations, venues, or milestones that you hope to achieve in the near future?

It’s so exciting to think about the future of this lovely collective of people.

Our dreeeam collabs at the moment would be Sam Wills, Jordan Rakei and Hiatus Kaiyote. We are so deeply inspired and amazed consistently by their work.

In terms of dream venues, the Jazz Cafe, Roundhouse and Ronnie Scott’s in London would be sensational. We’d love to be getting into the jazz scene in London, there are so many amazing artists coming out of that scene right now. 

In the near future, we are currently planning an intimate EP show in a hair salon here in Brighton (we love playing music in unusual spaces). It will be a night of drinking wine, having a sing song and celebrating with our friends and fans (which are basically the same thing!) who have been supporting us over the last years.

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