Mateus Asato writes and performs beautiful music.
The second single, The Breakup Song from the highly anticipated debut album by Mateus Asato is enchanting. In case you missed it, you can read my review of his first single, Cryin’ here.
The Breakup Song opens with chordal pads that setup the background for the lead guitar. After Mateus enters, we are greeted with a kind of flow and unity that is truly magical. This is probably one of the key aspects of Mateus’s playing. The melody is always singing.
The feeling is lyrical and as we hear some doubling in the background, the drums build up and we go to the next section.
This section is hopeful and has just the right amount of space before we return to the original theme. This time we start hearing some variations, although it is mostly close to the initial idea. There is a very ear candy high register harmonization that appears briefly (and it is nice!)
The second time we go to the next section, it is now the solo section although very subtle. The guitar takes a solo but it is in the middle of the mix, subtle, not in your face. And then the theme returns and ends with a strummed chord.
All in all, this piece is a picturesque sonic expression of the many feels we have going through a breakup. Bittersweet, hopeful, sad, happy — maybe all of that is here in this piece. Repressed, expressed — it fees like everything at once, though in a short 2 minutes and 56 seconds. Everything is perfect.
Rating: 5/5
Stream the song here:
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube Music
Tidal
About Mateus Asato
Mateus Asato is a Brazilian guitar player who has been considered to the media one of the “most influential guitar players” of this modern era. His name is included on Guitar World Magazine’s list of the TOP 10 Guitarists of the Decade (2020), #3 TOP Guitarist Right Now (via Total Guitar 2020), and his latest appearance was on Guitar World Magazine in 2022, being on number #14 of the list of ‘Hottest Guitar Players In The World’.
Asato has worked with some of the greatest names of the music industry nowadays, from all different styles, such as Bruno Mars, Silk Sonic, Jessie J, Tori Kelly, Selena Gomez, Carrie Underwood, Elevation Worship, Planetshakers, Israel Houghton, Oficina G3, Joe Satriani (G4), Extreme, Sandy, Resgate, DJ Snake, The Band Camino, LANY, Polyphia, Kiko Loureiro, The Technicolors, Fresno, Jesus Molina, Anomalie, Kinga Glyk, Tiago Iorc, Luan Santana & many others.
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