The Drum Chord Theory

Last updated
The Drum Chord Theory
The Drum Chord Theory.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 27, 2017
Recorded2016
Genre
Length41:52
Label Three Quarter
Producer
Matt Martians chronology
The Drum Chord Theory
(2017)
The Last Party
(2019)
Singles from The Drum Chord Theory
  1. "Diamond in Da Ruff"
    Released: January 18, 2017 [5]
  2. "Dent Jusay"
    Released: January 26, 2017 [4]

The Drum Chord Theory is the debut solo studio album by musician Matt Martians, member of groups and sub-groups The Internet, Odd Future, The Jet Age of Tomorrow, The Super D3shay, and Sweaty Martians. It was released on January 27, 2017 by Three Quarters Records.

Contents

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork 6.0/10 [6]

Background

Following the release of Ego Death, Syd and Matt Martians announced that they would release solo projects before making new music with The Internet. [7] When describing the music that would be on the album, Martians said that it was "very weird and wonky but it’s very chord-heavy and melodic". [7] He also stated that the themes presented on the album, such as uncertainties and ideals about love, come together to tell a story, essentially making it a concept album. "It's really an album that tells a story… It's a guy, he's having problems with a girl. Then he takes some acid," he explained in an interview. [1]

The first half of the album has been described as a smooth and jazzy neo soul production, before a more psychedelic approach to this sound in the latter half. [3] On the album's sound, Martians said "I got the sounds from it years ago when I started taking acid—just taking myself through the journey of being one with myself and being able to sit down and make an album because making an album is very hard. It takes a lot of things out of you emotionally". [3] Although the album is a solo effort, longtime collaborators and friends, including Syd, Tyler, The Creator, and Steve Lacy, make contributions to some songs. [3]

Track listing

The Drum Chord Theory [8] [3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Spend The Night / If You Were My Girlfriend" Matt Martians Matt Martians 3:40
2."What Love Is"
Steve Lacy 3:47
3."Where Are Yo Friends?"MartiansMartians3:20
4."Baby Girl"Martians
2:45
5."Southern Isolation"Martians
  • Martians
  • Lacy
3:51
6."Found Me Some Acid Tonight" (featuring Steve Lacy)
  • Martians
  • Lacy
  • Martians
  • Lacy
0:51
7."Alotta Women / Useless" (featuring Kari Faux)
  • Martians
  • Faux
Martians4:36
8."Down"MartiansMartians2:48
9."Dent Jusay" (featuring Syd and Steve Lacy)
Tyler Gregory Okonma 2:37
10."Callin' On Me"Martians
  • Martians
  • Okonma
5:49
11."Diamond in da Ruff"Martians
  • Martians
  • Lacy
3:44
12."Elevators" (Bonus)Martians
  • Martians
  • Tay Dreamin'
4:04

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shine On You Crazy Diamond</span> 1975 composition by Pink Floyd

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition written by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright, which appeared in Pink Floyd's 1975 concept album Wish You Were Here. The song is written about and dedicated to founder member Syd Barrett, who departed from the band in 1968 after dealing with mental problems and substance abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Hopes (Pink Floyd song)</span> 1994 single by Pink Floyd

"High Hopes" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, composed by guitarist David Gilmour with lyrics by Gilmour and Polly Samson. It is the closing track on their fourteenth studio album, The Division Bell (1994); it was released as the second single from the album on 17 October 1994. An accompanying music video was made for the song and was directed by Storm Thorgerson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odd Future</span> American music collective based in California

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF or OFWGKTA, is an American alternative hip-hop music collective formed in Los Angeles, California in 2007. The original members were Tyler, the Creator, Casey Veggies, Hodgy, Left Brain, Matt Martians, Jasper Dolphin, Earl Sweatshirt, Travis "Taco" Bennett, and Syd. Later members included brandUn DeShay, Pyramid Vritra, Domo Genesis, Mike G, Frank Ocean, and Na-Kel Smith.

The Jet Age of Tomorrow is an American production duo from Atlanta, Georgia and a sub-group of hip hop collective Odd Future that consists of producer-singer Matt Martians, and producer-rapper Pyramid Vritra. According to Martians, the group's music originated from instrumentals turned down by Tyler, the Creator and Hodgy, who liked the tracks Martians sent them, but could not use them in their own music. Outside of their work with the Jet Age, Martians is a member of The Internet with Odd Future member Syd, while Vritra is a member of his own Atlanta hip hop collective, NRK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Martians</span> American record producer, illustrator, singer and songwriter

Matthew Robert Martin, better known by his stage name Matt Martians, is an American record producer, illustrator, singer, and songwriter. Aside from his solo career, Martians was a founding member of Los Angeles hip hop collective Odd Future and is a part of the sub-groups The Jet Age of Tomorrow with Pyramid Vritra, The Super D3Shay with Pyramid Vritra and brandUn DeShay, The Internet with Syd, and Sweaty Martians with Earl Sweatshirt.

<i>Purple Naked Ladies</i> 2011 studio album by The Internet

Purple Naked Ladies is the debut studio album by American soul band The Internet, a duo consisting of Syd tha Kyd and Matt Martians of Odd Future at the time. The digital version of the album was released on December 20, 2011, with a physical copy, with bonus tracks released on January 31, 2012. The album is the first physically released album on Odd Future's own record label Odd Future Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Internet (band)</span> American R&B and soul band

The Internet is an American alternative R&B band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of vocalist Syd, keyboardist Matt Martians, bassist Patrick Paige II, drummer Christopher Smith, and guitarist Steve Lacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syd (singer)</span> American singer

Sydney Loren Bennett, known professionally as Syd, is an American musician and singer from Los Angeles, California. She initially gained recognition as a member of the alternative hip hop collective Odd Future, and went on to found her own band The Internet, in 2011. Bennett released her 2017 debut solo album Fin, followed by the EP Always Never Home. She released her second album, Broken Hearts Club, in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilo Kish</span> American singer-songwriter and artist

Lakisha Kimberly Robinson, known professionally as Kilo Kish, is an American singer-songwriter and visual artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hive (song)</span> 2013 single by Earl Sweatshirt featuring Casey Veggies and Vince Staples

"Hive" is a song by American rapper Earl Sweatshirt, featuring Casey Veggies and Vince Staples, and the third single from his debut studio album Doris. The writing, recording, production and engineering of the track took place at Syd tha Kyd and Matt Martians' old home, and it was recorded in three hours. The lyrics of the slow-tempo song describes the rapper's image, who says that he wants his critics and interns to call him nothing less than a synonym of menace. Its music video was directed by Hiro Murai.

<i>Ego Death</i> (album) 2015 studio album by the Internet

Ego Death is the third studio album by American R&B band the Internet. It was released on June 26, 2015, through Odd Future and distributed by Columbia Records. The album was supported by the singles "Special Affair" and "Girl". Ego Death was nominated at the 2016 Grammy Awards for Best Urban Contemporary Album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Lacy</span> American musician

Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He gained recognition as the guitarist of the alternative R&B band the Internet. In 2017, he released his self-produced debut EP, Steve Lacy's Demo. Following this, Lacy was featured alongside Frank Ocean on the song "911 / Mr. Lonely" by Tyler, the Creator; and co-wrote songs for artists such as Solange Knowles, Chloe x Halle, and Kendrick Lamar, the latter of whom he worked with on the song "Pride.".

The following list is a discography of production by Matt Martians, an American record producer. It includes a list of songs produced and co-produced by year, artist, album and title.

<i>Fin</i> (Syd album) 2017 studio album by Syd

Fin is the debut studio album by American R&B singer Syd. It was released on February 3, 2017, by Columbia Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All About Me (Syd song)</span> 2017 single by Syd

"All About Me" is a song by American singer and songwriter Syd. It was released on January 11, 2017, as the lead single from her debut album Fin.

<i>Steve Lacys Demo</i> 2017 EP by Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy's Demo is the first extended play by American musician Steve Lacy. It was released on February 24, 2017, by Three Quarter (3Qtr) and AWAL. The project has been described by Lacy as a song series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Lacy discography</span>

This article catalogs the songwriting, musician, and production credits for Steve Lacy-Moya, better known as Steve Lacy. Lacy began his career as a guitarist and producer for the Los Angeles-based R&B/soul band, the Internet, and as a solo artist in the mid-to-late 2010s. His debut project, a song series titled Steve Lacy's Demo, was released in February 2017 and his debut album, Apollo XXI, was released in May 2019.

<i>Apollo XXI</i> 2019 studio album by Steve Lacy

Apollo XXI (21) is the debut studio album by American musician Steve Lacy. It was released on May 24, 2019, by Three Quarter (3Qtr) and AWAL. It was preceded by the singles "N Side", "Playground", and "Hate CD".

<i>Gemini Rights</i> 2022 studio album by Steve Lacy

Gemini Rights is the second and major-label debut studio album by American musician Steve Lacy. It was released on July 15, 2022, by RCA Records. It follows Lacy's debut album Apollo XXI (2019), and was preceded by the singles "Mercury", "Bad Habit" and "Sunshine". "Bad Habit" became Lacy's debut entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and later became his first number one single.

<i>Broken Hearts Club</i> (album) 2022 studio album by Syd

Broken Hearts Club is the second studio album by American singer Syd. The album was released through Columbia Records on April 8, 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "PREVIEW: Matt Martians - The Drum Chord Theory". 20 January 2017.
  2. "The Internet's Matt Martians Unveils 'The Drum Chord Theory' Solo LP".
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Internet's Matt Martians Takes a Trip on His Adventurous Solo Debut".
  4. 1 2 "Watch Matt Martians Bring Syd And Steve Lacy On A Stroll For His "Dent Jusay" Video". The FADER.
  5. "Matt Martians Announces The Drum Chord Theory Album, Shares "Diamond In Da Ruff" Single". The FADER.
  6. "Matt Martians: The Drum Chord Theory Album Review | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  7. 1 2 "The Internet's Syd and Matt Martians Announce Solo Albums - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com.
  8. Okayplayer. "Matt Martians' Debut Solo Album 'The Drum Chord Theory' Is Now Out". okayplayer.com. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  9. "Matt Martians - Hidden Track "Feelin" Lyrics". Genius. Retrieved 17 March 2017.