Matt Maeson Announces Third Studio Album 'A Quiet And Harmless Living'
(Atlantic) Matt Maeson announces the release of his third studio album, A Quiet And Harmless Living on September 12th via Atlantic Music Group. On the album, the Virginia-born and Nashville-based multiplatinum singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist chronicles the recent changes in his life, including getting married, moving from Austin to Nashville, and becoming a father.
The album channels the complicated feelings, uneasy thoughts, and self-doubt into arresting anthems anchored by relatable and raw emotion. "It was very healing to write this," Maeson shares. "I was going through a lot. So, A Quiet and Harmless Living is about deconstruction and figuring out who I am now as a person in a completely different season."
Today, Maeson also shares his latest single and video for "Downstairs." Maeson reveals about the song, "'Downstairs' was one of the first songs I wrote for this album. It was written out of exhaustion and my tendency to isolate myself when things are hard. I'd just had my son, and I was having a very hard time with it. I found myself racing through the days to get everything that had to be done over with so I could go isolate myself downstairs. I ended up having a few buddies come over months after I'd started the song and they helped me finish it in that very same room downstairs." Listen to "Downstairs" here and watch the new music video, directed by Matthew Daniel Siskin, below.
Maeson recently confirmed his 42-date tour which will reunite him with his full band to play 27 dates in North America from late September through early November, and 15-dates in Europe and the UK in January and February 2026. The tour will stop in cities including Austin, Los Angeles, Toronto, Nashville, and Brooklyn in North America and Dublin, Paris, Munich, Amsterdam and more in the EU/UK (full dates below). A VIP package will be offered for each date which includes soundcheck viewing access, one signed, show specific tour poster, one exclusive merch gift, one commemorative VIP laminate, early merch shopping access, and VIP early entry to the show.
A Quiet And Harmless Living is Matt Maeson's first album since his 2024 live record, That's My Cue: A Solo Experience and his sold-out solo tour of the same name. It was written during and chronicles a period of profound change in Maeson's life. "I was trying to appease everyone by juggling being a good father, husband, and artist," he shares. "I was failing at all of it, because I was doing too much. It broke me down to a point where it came out in the lyrics. I was writing about all of the ups and downs of fatherhood, marriage, and a career in an industry that demands all of your time and punishes you for the time you don't give. There was a whiplash of emotions, but fatherhood gave me the punch in the face I needed like, 'Your job isn't the only thing that matters anymore'. It actually took the pressure off. My career could fail, but I'd still have the best thing in the world: my son. It gave me the ability to be brutally truthful."
Given the changes at home, Matt primarily wrote at night, working often between 11 pm and 2 am. He listened to everything from Mk.gee, Big Thief, and Adrianne Lenker to the scores of Final Fantasy VII and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. To bring the music to life, he collaborated closely with producer and friend Owen Lewis, leveraging the talents of Nashville session musicians to complete the vision. This time around, the bulk of the material was developed on piano, including the first single "Everlasting," which wrestles with the idea of leaving it all behind, before dusting yourself off and finding comfort in the mantra-like chant, "Grit your teeth and make us proud. Fake it when you don't know how."
On "Downstairs" palm-muted electric guitar slips into the undertow of the distortion-boosted refrain, "I just wanna drift away downstairs." Meanwhile, on "Cursive," Maeson duets with Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra trading off on introspective verses. "Andy and I have become super close," Maeson says. "He's been through it all, and he has two kids who are a little older. It's the only song to address my place with religion and faith. As a kid, you rely on what you're indoctrinated with. When you get to 32 and all of it falls apart, you have to figure out what you believe."
Ultimately, A Quiet and Harmless Living is the sound of growing and finding balance. "At the end of the day, I'm just a good father and husband who makes and plays music sometimes," he smiles. "I'm so happy with this record. I made something that spoke to me, and I'm content, man."
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