Lancaster, Pennsylvania singer-songwriter Matt Tarka brings a jangly, guitar-driven rock sound to “Letter to the Editor,” pairing pointed songwriting with rhythmic momentum and a melodic lead presence. The track takes aim at The Washington Post’s Editorial Board for declining to endorse a candidate in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, which Tarka views as a betrayal of its “Democracy Dies in Darkness” philosophy.
Jangling guitars and a driving bass line complement Tarka’s memorable delivery, emitting a quivering, melodic allure throughout with poignantly scathing introspection. “Your spine’s returned to dust,” the opening line punches forth, letting out that “silence is complicit” in times of tumult, when “darkness is creeping in.” The “instead your hand’s upon the switch…” further places blame on the editorial board for inaction, reminding of journalism’s role as a tool in highlighting corruption — though in this case falling silent, epitomized in the closing “how could you let the ink run dry upon the sword?” questioning.
The powerful lyricism is complemented throughout by a steady guitar jangling and rhythmic backing, with mellow infusions of keys lending a hand to the harmonious textural backing. An added rhythmic pit-pattering past the three-minute turn melds with that “ink run dry” refrain for an especially powerful send-off. “Letter to the Editor” is an affecting rocker from Matt Tarka, thematically resonant in portraying the betrayal of public good from certain journalistic outlets.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
