Matt Myers Houndmouth Lordy — Matt Myers, the singer and guitarist who fronts Houndmouth, has reached a point where contentment and creativity coexist. The new Houndmouth album Lordy, released on Dualtone Records, draws its lyrical energy from that equilibrium rather than from heartache. For Myers, the record is a reflection on self-acceptance and the stability he has found later in life.
A Shift in Perspective
Myers, 38, remarried two years ago and is a father to two young daughters from his first marriage. He describes the change as profound, saying that being fully accepted by his wife and friends has reshaped how he sees himself and his work. That sense of reciprocated love, he explains, is the emotional engine behind the new songs.
The album is one of the centerpieces of Dualtone’s 25th-anniversary year. Myers frames Lordy as a record about looking in the mirror and making peace with what looks back, a theme that runs through its lyrics and its overall tone.
Growing Older, Writing Lighter
Now sporting salt-and-pepper hair and the visible wear of years on the road, Myers is far removed from the baby-faced musician who started Houndmouth in 2011. He embraces that change. The old idea that great songs require suffering, he says, is a misconception, even if it can be hard to shake. These days he writes from a place of domestic happiness, without forcing every song to feel grand or overthought. The process, he says, is simpler: write, edit, and let the song be what it is.
Roots in New Albany
Myers still lives in New Albany, Indiana, the town where Houndmouth formed, just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. That region, where the Midwest meets the South, has nurtured a long line of rock acts. Before Houndmouth, Myers cut his teeth in the local cover-band circuit, playing long sets at wineries and bars. The experience left him frustrated: original songs rarely landed in those rooms. Eventually he decided to gather friends and commit to performing only their own material, without compromise.
From a Name Generator to National Stages
The band’s name came from an internet name generator, and momentum followed quickly. Houndmouth played South by Southwest, caught the attention of Rough Trade Records, signed a contract, and soon found themselves booked at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and the Newport Folk Festival. Their 2015 album Little Neon Limelight broke them nationally on the strength of catchy songs like “Sedona” and “Darlin’.”
Myers is candid about how that rise differed from his expectations. The early fantasy of a rocket-ship ascent gave way to a more gradual reality, one that he believes kept him grounded. Later releases, including “McKenzie” and “Miracle Mile” from the 2021 album Good for You, continued to define his musical identity: indie-rock with a shoegaze streak, threaded through with blues and alt-country.
A Natural Storyteller
Myers describes himself as a natural storyteller who prefers plain, personal narratives over elaborate invention. He says he has never had the drive to construct lavish fictional worlds. That instinct toward honesty and understatement is part of what makes Lordy feel like a document of where he is now: settled, reflective, and no longer dependent on sadness to make a song connect.
