"With shimmering acoustics and a throat-tearing chorus, Matt Cory delivers a masterclass in post-grunge revivalism."
You hear that driving, shimmer-soaked acoustic guitar tone and instantly know exactly what era of rock history is being resurrected. It’s that specific late-nineties sweet spot where alternative rock traded its grimy distortion for something a little more expansive and sky-gazing. Matt Cory’s “Spark in The Sky” grabs that exact nostalgic frequency and wrenches it into the present day. Think of the wide-open, heavily chorused acoustics that made Filter’s crossover hit “Take a Picture” feel so deceptively massive, but inject it with the raw, forward-moving momentum of early Foo Fighters. The production here doesn’t mess around. It breathes.
Dane Neufeld’s layered guitars do a lot of the heavy lifting early on, stacking clean, spacious chords that give the verses a contemplative, almost hesitating tension. But they wouldn’t land with half as much impact without the bedrock rhythm section holding the floor. Bassist Ian Morrice and drummer Craig Metruk lock into a mid-tempo pocket that feels naturally muscular and grounded. There is a wildly satisfying live-band energy caught in the mix, devoid of the sterile, quantized grid-locking that plagues modern rock radio. You can practically hear the room they recorded in, and that organic friction makes the eventual payoff hit like a freight train.
“Spark in The Sky” feels like a lost gem from 1998 that someone polished up and gave a brand new engine. Matt Cory has built a massive, melodic rock anthem that honors its influences while carving out its own wildly personal space. This is guitar music that feels alive, breathing, and desperately searching for something better on the horizon. It demands to be played loud.
