| Not Thinking Straight | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 April 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–2013 | |||
| Genre |
| |||
| Length | 51:00 | |||
| Label | Young Lust | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Matt Fishel chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Not Thinking Straight | ||||
| ||||
Not Thinking Straight is the debut studio album by British singer, songwriter and recording artist Matt Fishel. It was released internationally on 8 April 2013 [1] [2] through Fishel's own record label Young Lust Records. [3]
Not Thinking Straight was released as both a physical CD (on Bandcamp and Fishel's website store) [4] and a digital download (on iTunes and Amazon worldwide).
Musically, the album incorporates elements of alternative rock, punk rock, pop punk and rock. It has been described as "a blend of heavy guitars, big vocal harmonies and anthemic choruses". [5] Fishel is openly gay [6] and many of the songs and lyrics on Not Thinking Straight deal candidly with the "joys, pains and experiences of growing up as a gay teenager and young man". [7] The album showcases Fishel's "unique style of songwriting and production" [7] and comprises thirteen tracks that explore love, lust, education, sexuality [7] and "themes and issues surrounding gay life, relationships and experiences". [5] In an interview with RightOutTV, Fishel said of the album: "Some songs are loud, angry and full of energy; some are fun, celebratory or tongue-in-cheek and others are quieter, more reflective and nostalgic." [7] He told Jon Roth of Out Magazine: "There are songs on the album about boyfriends and relationships, coming out and the places I’ve lived, religion, hypocrisy, sexuality and education." [8]
The artwork for Not Thinking Straight was created by San Diego comic book artist and illustrator Joe Phillips. [5] The album cover depicts Fishel as a superhero in cartoon form, with a guitar on his back and piano keys around his hands. The words 'Super Fishel Comics' and '#1 First Issue' are also written on the cover. The CD version of the album comes with a sixteen-page colour booklet [4] and the iTunes release comes with a digital eighteen-page colour booklet, [2] each containing full artwork, lyrics, credits and thank yous. Both versions of the album booklet are presented in a comic book format. Each contains eighteen original illustrations by Phillips, with each illustration representing a different song's lyrics and showing images of young gay life and relationships. [5] [9]
Six singles have been released from Not Thinking Straight: "Football Song" (released 7 June 2010), "The First Time" (released 7 November 2011), "Behind Closed Doors" (released 9 April 2012), "Testament" (released 28 May 2012), "Radio-Friendly Pop Song" (released 18 March 2013) and "When Boy Meets Boy" (released 3 June 2013). An a cappella version of album track "Armitage Shanks (Jamie)" was released as a B-side to the "Football Song" single; [10] Amsterdam remixer/producer Matt Pop provided two remixes of "The First Time" for its single release; [11] the "Behind Closed Doors" single includes both a remix of the song by J Stax and an a cappella version of the song performed by Fishel [12] and the "When Boy Meets Boy" single includes an acoustic version of the song and another remix by Matt Pop. [13]
Official music videos were released for singles "Football Song" (directed by Dan Shipton), [14] "The First Time" (directed by Alexis Dos Santos), [15] "Testament" (directed by Arno), [16] "Radio-Friendly Pop Song" (produced by Tyjens Media and animated by Kenneth Wilcox) [17] and "When Boy Meets Boy" (directed and animated by Joe Phillips). [18]
Howard Stump of music blog Soundtrack to mMy Day said Not Thinking Straight was: "smart, funny, and still remains honest and very real. And when you pair honesty and smart up so well, it can't help but be kinda sexy, too. Stylistically [there is] a wonderfully eclectic feeling to [Fishel's] music. And while he tells universal stories of love, loss and life, Matt doesn't shy away from the fact he is a gay man, using that experience to enrich the lyrics....[it is] a wonderful journey, touching on aspects of life from teen to adult. The album touches my heart in so many ways, at times making me smile, or give a sigh, or even drop a tear or two. It speaks to our shared histories of love, hurt, and confusion, all part of growing up." [19] Music journalist and broadcaster JD Doyle of Queer Music Heritage said of Not Thinking Straight: "I just love the new Matt Fishel CD! I've been calling his music 'Political Power Pop'...it's music that never even thought about being in the closet." [20]
Not Thinking Straight won the Album of the Year award at the 2013 Co-operative Respect 'Loved By You' Awards, voted for by the public. [21] [22]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Not Thinking Straight | Album of the Year | Won |
All tracks are written by Matt Fishel.
All songs produced by Fishel and Mark Crew except for "Football Song", produced by Fishel
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Radio-Friendly Pop Song" | 3:49 |
| 2. | "Testament" | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Behind Closed Doors" | 3:30 |
| 4. | "The First Time" | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Maybe..." | 3:29 |
| 6. | "Nottingham" | 4:17 |
| 7. | "Seventeen Again" | 4:42 |
| 8. | "Armitage Shanks (Jamie)" | 2:47 |
| 9. | "Alastair" | 4:37 |
| 10. | "Football Song" | 4:00 |
| 11. | "Boxer Shorts & Razor Blades" | 3:43 |
| 12. | "Boys" | 5:22 |
| 13. | "When Boy Meets Boy" | 3:45 |
Credits for Not Thinking Straight are adapted from the album's liner notes. [2] [23]
"Summer Rain" is a song written by Robbie Seidman and Maria Vidal, produced by Rick Nowels for American singer Belinda Carlisle's third album, Runaway Horses (1989). The power ballad is about a man who goes away to war and leaves his wife, saying that nothing will change—they will be together forever and always. Although the conflict is unidentified, images in the video of a transport aircraft on an airfield and troops parachuting from transport aircraft suggest the man is an airborne soldier. The song is set in the present as his widow sings it, remembering the last time she saw him.
Joe Phillips is an American artist, known for his gay-themed illustration, erotic animation, and his earlier work on superhero comic books.
"Big Casino" is a song by American rock band Jimmy Eat World from their sixth studio album Chase This Light, which was released on October 16, 2007. The single was released on August 28, 2007. The song impacted radio on September 11, 2007.
Eleventyseven is an American pop punk band from Greenville, South Carolina which was formed in 2002. They chose the name "Eleventyseven" because "it's the one that looked cool the next morning". The band was originally signed to Flicker Records and released two albums with the label that charted on Christian music charts. After an independent streak, the band signed on to Sony Japan before returning to an independent status a year later. They continued to tour, self produce and release music independently until disbanding in September 2014.
Samuel Falson, better known by his stage name Sam Sparro, is an Australian singer, songwriter and record producer. He was signed to the British record label Island Records. Sparro is best known for his 2008 single "Black and Gold".
Solomon Raymond Barnett, better known as Solomon Ray, is an American recording artist, producer, DJ, singer and songwriter.
Conor Paul Maynard is an English singer. Born and raised in Brighton, he signed a recording contract with Warner Music Group in 2011. Maynard rose to fame in 2012 when he was nominated for, and subsequently won, MTV's Brand New for 2012 award. His debut album, Contrast, was released in July 2012 which produced the successful single "Can't Say No". Maynard released his second and third albums, Covers and +11 Hours, in 2016 and 2023, respectively.
"Put Your Hearts Up" is the debut single by American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on December 12, 2011 by Universal Republic. The song samples "What's Up?" (1993) by 4 Non Blondes.
Matt Fishel is a British singer, songwriter, music producer and record label owner. He plays guitar, piano, bass and keyboards. He grew up in Nottingham in the East Midlands in the late 1990s, going on to study Music and Performing Arts at Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) in the early 2000s, before moving to London, UK, where he currently lives.
Trouble is the second and final solo studio album by English singer Teddy Sinclair under the name Natalia Kills. It was released on 3 September 2013 by Cherrytree Records through will.i.am Music Group and Interscope. Recording for the album started in early 2012 and took place in Los Angeles and New York. During that time, Sinclair was accompanied by producers including Jeff Bhasker, who served as Trouble's executive producer and handled the production, instrumentation and songwriting.
"Football Song" is a song written, produced and performed by British recording artist Matt Fishel. The song was released as a single on 7 June 2010 and appears on Fishel's 2013 debut album Not Thinking Straight.
"The First Time" is a song written and performed by British recording artist Matt Fishel. The song was released as a single on 7 November 2011 and appears on Fishel's 2013 debut album Not Thinking Straight.
"Behind Closed Doors" is a song written and performed by British recording artist Matt Fishel. The song was released as a single on 9 April 2012 and appears on Fishel's 2013 debut album Not Thinking Straight.
"Testament" is a song written and performed by British recording artist Matt Fishel. The song was released as a single on 28 May 2012, and appears on Fishel's 2013 debut album Not Thinking Straight.
"Radio-Friendly Pop Song" is a song written and performed by British recording artist Matt Fishel. It was released as a single on 18 March 2013 and appears as the opening track on Fishel's 2013 debut album Not Thinking Straight.
"When Boy Meets Boy" is a song written and performed by British recording artist Matt Fishel. It was released as a single on 3 June 2013 and appears as the closing track on Fishel's 2013 debut album Not Thinking Straight.
Stephen Samuel Wrabel (born January 7, 1989), known mononymously as Wrabel, is an American singer, songwriter and musician based in Los Angeles.
Cover Boy is an extended play (EP) by British singer, songwriter and recording artist Matt Fishel. It was released internationally on 14 July 2014 through Fishel's own record label Young Lust Records. The EP comprises seven cover versions. Cover Boy is Fishel's ninth release and his first collection of cover songs.
Zoë Montana Hoetzel, known professionally as Zolita, is an American singer-songwriter. In 2015, she gained recognition when the music video for her song, "Explosion" became a viral video. Following its success, she released the music videos for the singles "Holy" (2016) and "Fight Like a Girl" (2017) directed by herself. She has released three extended plays: Immaculate Conception (2015), Sappho (2018), and Falling Out / Falling In (2023) as well as two studio albums: Evil Angel (2020) and Queen of Hearts (2024).
Symptoms is the third studio album by American singer Ashley Tisdale. The album was released through Big Noise Music Group on May 3, 2019. Symptoms follows Tisdale's second studio album, Guilty Pleasure (2009), marking 10 years since her previous full studio release. Tisdale enlisted John Feldmann for the album's production, and collaborated with songwriters including Rachel West, Scot Stewart and Dylan McLean for much of the album's content. A pop and electropop album, Symptoms chronicles Tisdale's silent battle with depression and anxiety, while employing implicit lyrics to give the songs multiple meanings. It is Ashley’s first album to contain songs with explicit and profane lyrics.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)