Checking In With… Matt Scottoline of Hurry

In times of crisis, it’s more important than ever to check in on your friends and loved ones. Here at XPN, we’re Checking In With our extended musical family to see how they’re holding up during the Coronavirus quarantine…and what music has kept them grounded. Today, John Vettese chats with Matt Scottoline of Hurry.

The singer-songwriter at the front of Philly power pop band Hurry joined us on Public Radio Music Day via Facebook Live for an acoustic performance, and a chat about where his head’s been at since the Coronavirus pandemic shifted the way we live our lives.

“I’m honestly fine,” Matt said. “I feel like I’m trying to keep perspective. I’m not working in a hospital, I’m not delivering stuff. I’m trying to appreciate that and not worry. I was definitely freaking out a couple weeks ago…but I feel like at this point I’ve embraced the uncertainty and isolation, and I’m trying not to stress out too badly about it.”

Fortunately, Scottoline and his bandmates are in a good place to remain creatively active during self-isolation, as he tells us that “Only about a month before everything shut down, I’d just finished tracking a new record. So I’ve been able to stay engaged with that because the engineer who’s mixing it is still working at his home studio. So the mixing process is still going, and all of that is remote work. If I hadn’t finished tracking and this happened, I’d probably be going a little out of my mind wishing I could finish it. But luckily I can do all the finishing touches from home, and that’s keeping me occupied.”

Below, watch Matt Scottoline play three songs acoustically — “Waiting For You” from Hurry’s Every Little Thought, a new song called “Sometimes I’m About It And Sometimes I’m Not There,” and the classic “Oh Whitney” from their debut, that’s getting a newly re-recorded version on the new album. Listen to the full Checking In segment and peruse Matt’s song picks down below.

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Favorite Song Of All Time: “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys

“It’s my classic can’t-go-wrong go to. It’s a safe play, but it’s earnest because I think it’s inarguably one of the best songs ever.”

Song That Raises Your Spirits: Anything by The Meters

“I tend to veer into vibey instrumental stuff at this point. I listen to The Meters a lot, because that’s the kind of stuff that really relaxes me, old school funk or jazz. Shuffling The Meters discography on Spotify is where I find myself a lot right now.”

Song That You’re Most Proud Of Working On: “When I’m With You” by Hurry

“People seemed into this song. I have a bad measure for that, because when you’re someone who writes songs — and you send the record to the label or your bandmates — and my favorite is never the favorite. So I’ve had to readjust pride in a certain way. But any time the greater world seems to be into [a song], I feel proud of that, most recently it was that song.”