MatAre drops brand new EP ‘Brevity’

Florida-based musician Matt Rousseau has used transformation not just as a chapter in his story, but to write the whole tale thus far. Once a fixture of Orlando’s breakbeat scene under the name Vibal, he staked his early reputation on crafting high-octane club anthems made for movement and adrenaline. But with the launch of his current project, MatAre, he’s swapped flashing strobes for fading sunlight, trading dancefloor euphoria for something more meditative, atmospheric and personal.

Over the last five years, he’s redefined himself as a creator of rich, reflective, rock-tinged soundscapes that live somewhere between nostalgia and reinvention. The shift from Vibal to MatAre was an entire creative reset and his instinct for mood and texture remains his bedrock, but his perspective has subtly shirted. Since debuting the MatAre project in 2020, he’s been building a sound world that fuses melancholy with melody and the result is something equally cinematic and intimate.

His early self-titled EP introduced that vision with creative sincerity, a departure from the club energy of his past and a signal that he was charting a new artistic course. That continued in 2023 with Patternicit, a full-length record that confirmed MatAre’s new musical vision while taking cues from artists like The Cure, The Sundays, Fleetwood Mac and Depeche Mode. Last year, his sophomore record Extinction Burst, marked a contemplation on impermanence and personal growth, distilling the sound of an artist learning to say more with less.

Now, in 2026, MatAre continues that creative adventure with Brevity, a new four-track EP that captures his ethos in its purest form yet. Recorded in his home studio in Sarasota, Florida, Brevity blends 80s and 90s new wave vibes with the emotional subtlety that’s become his calling card.

The songs drift between dream and reflection, each one landing with patience and poise while Matt experimented with new instruments during the process, notably a Stingray bass and a Fender Jaguar, tools that helped him craft the warm, nostalgic tone that threads through the record. Collaborating with drummer Glen Welman, MatAre adds a rhythmic energy that propels his sound with crisp, expressive and restrained performance that complements Matt’s melodic layers perfectly.

Jumping straight into a fuzzy shoegaze scene on title track “Brevity,” the patter of percussion and layers of washing guitar tones inject a burst of energy before the track simmers down for MatAre’s smooth vocal leads. Gliding above the immersive arrangement, his voice delivers silky melodies via airy delivery to form a transportive soundscape that’s energising, atmospheric and memorable all at once.

“When Alone” lands with the bright flicker of intricate lead notes tumbling above pulsing bass tones as Glen’s slick drum work taps away below. Capped by delicate vocal performance, the song serves up a charming sound that melts elements of indie rock, post punk and dream pop into a magical musical moment that’s at once mesmeric and lively.

With “Do You Think They’ll Talk About Us?,” the crash of downtempo drums and woozy tones of buzzing lead guitar surge into a hypnotic dance before the arrangement drops back to the steady march of drums and pulse of bass as MatAre’s compelling vocals hover above. Dashed with moments of absorbing vocal-led arrangement and peppered with flickers of instrumental flourishes, it’s a stellar outing that’s truly timeless and thoroughly enjoyable throughout. Closing the EP with “When The Sun Falls,” the track flows with the uptempo energy of bouncing rhythms and uplifting guitar layers while MatAre’s rich voice casts catchy melodic lines to form an infectious pop-inflected rock scene.

Listen to Brevity below