Louder Than The Music

New duo Matt & Toby will release their self-titled debut album on 19th November 2012. Having spent eleven years as members of the highly influential heavy rock band Emery, members Matt Carter and Toby Morrell are already familiar to many fans. The two will not be leaving Emery, but using this as another avenue to make music.

"With an arsenal of elaborate yet quirky acoustic and electronic music, all accented by full production, Matt & Toby are truly one of today's most unique tastemakers" says Tooth & Nail Records of the Seattle-based band.

"Matt & Toby just kind of happened," notices Matt nonchalantly. "The big thing with Emery is it has an image, a sound and its own identity. Even though there's a softer side at times, if you spend too much time away from the heavier side, it would make Emery seem less reliable. So rather than alienate some fans with a record that wasn't heavy at all, we wanted to explore the totality of how the softer side would be through Matt & Toby. We wanted to do our own thing that's not contrary but completely additional to Emery."

Adds Toby "Initially we thought we'd write an acoustic Emery record, but there wound up being songs that were more personal for me and Matt, plus there's just a niche group of Emery fans who like that stuff. I like Weezer, but when I buy a Weezer record, I want to hear Weezer songs. This is our chance to do something totally different - out of respect for Emery fans and not just cause we want to do - because the fans are as much a part of the band as us. We didn't feel like Emery with this record. We felt like a whole new band."

The group's label says the ten track collection could be considered an unconventional blend of Ben Folds, David Bazan (Pedro The Lion) and Coconut Records (the latest venture from Phantom Planet's Jason Schwartzman).