Qwiet Type – Queen City Sounds and Art

Qwiet Type Celebrates Setting Boundaries for Users and Abusers on “Uninvited”

Calling Qwiet Type’s “Uninvited” a diss track from his new EP of the same name might be a bit dramatic. But it does outline how someone went from a friend or more to someone who isn’t welcome in the songwriter’s life once it’s discovered that person only really wants him around when times are tough as an emotional crutch. And in the end it’s a song celebrating setting boundaries and sticking to them and not regretting doing something for the sake of your own sanity but yes declaring that the offending party is uninvited from when times are good. Musically it’s like an indie rock pop song in the vein of early 70s Todd Rundgren, Walter Egan and Sniff ‘n’ The Tears drawing on their sense of humor and irony as well a knack for genre-bending and in this case a nod to New Wave and disco. And in typical Qwiet Type fashion, songwriter Matt Powell turns the heartbreak and anger into something fun as a way of creatively transforming what could be hurt and negative emotions into a party. Listen to “Uninvited” on YouTube and connect with Qwuiet Type at the links below.

Qwiet Type on YouTube

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“Got It Like I Like It” is Like Qwiet Type’s Personal Action Movie Outro Anthem

QwietType2_Crop — Qwiet Type, photo courtesy the artist

“Got It Like I Like It” finds Qwiet Type in a bit of a different sonic realm than the other singles reviewed on this site. Rather than the somewhat whimsical yet ambitious pop of “Shakedown” and “My Friends Are Coming Over,” this song makes you think not of Harry Nilsson so much as the moment in an 80s action movie or cop show, think Miami Vice or another Michael Mann vehicle like Band of the Hand or Manhunter, where one of the protagonists is reflecting on all the struggles to finally reach the point in the plot at the end of the story where the greatest challenges are overcome and they can take the time out to enjoy the kind of victory and triumph that really only fully makes sense in your own head because that’s where a lot of our struggles take place even if they seem tough even from the outside. Though the song has an uplifting vibe and somewhat celebratory it also obviously comes from a place of genuine feeling but needing to downplay how hard it’s been in order to enjoy the moment. Listen to “Got It Like I Like It” on Soundcloud.

Qwiet Type Burns the Blues Away With the Hope of Good Times After a Bad Day on “My Friends are Coming Over”

QwietType1_sm — Qwiet Type, photo courtesy the artist

Qwiet Type’s new single “My Friends are Coming Over” shares some of the sonic qualities of the previous single I wrote up, “Shakedown,” like the Gary Numan-esque song structure, the great use of space in the mix and surreal pop sensibility of Harry Nilsson or Supertramp. A playful keyboard figure is counterpoint to syncopated, pounding low end and drums as the vocals tell a story about how it’s been a bad day but one to be salvaged by friends coming over to the rescue with a guaranteed good time. One imagines the songwriter coming home after work and slumping in his chair, staring at the ceiling, spent and then feeling the urge to purge the mood writing a song and while doing so decides to throw some horns into the mix to take over for the keyboards as the song progresses before all the sounds come together to dissolve those bad day vibes in the unusual dynamics like tricking yourself not to get bummed out by latching onto the hope of spending time with people that care about you. Listen to “My Friends are Coming Over” on Soundcloud.

Qwiet Type’s “Shakedown” is a New Wave Synth Funk Examination of Identity After Shedding Pop Culture References

On the “Shakedown” single Qwiet Type sounds like he sequestered himself for a couple of weeks with only a box of VHS tapes with recordings of early MTV videos and the entire discographies of Harry Nilsson, Sparks and LCD Soundsystem as companions. In a way it’s a sound akin to Gary Numan gone indie pop funk. The song’s distorted keyboard line and syncopated guitar line overlaid with a quirky synth figure traces the story of a person who may be singing to himself who needs a “shakedown” in search of his real identity under layers of crafted personae constructed from the fantasies of popular culture references and song lyrics. Its a deconstruction of the way many people latch on to manufactured culture as the basis for their own personality and asking, in a more creative way, who we really are when we shed what isn’t authentically ours and recognizing the importance of that discovery. Listen to “Shakedown” on Spotify.