Matthew Steven Whitaker’s HOW IT USED TO BE blends a warm indie folk foundation with a bittersweet emotional pull. Airy vocals sit alongside fingerstyle and baritone guitars, upright bass and cello, while synth textures add a subtle sense of space before the drums gradually bring more weight into the arrangement. The contrast between the upbeat musical movement and the sadness at the heart of the song gives it a particularly human quality, never pushing the emotion too far. There is also a lo fi character to the production that keeps the performance intimate, while the layered instrumentation gives the track a wider cinematic feel. Matthew Steven Whitaker allows the arrangement to grow naturally, moving from its quieter opening into something fuller without losing its delicate character. HOW IT USED TO BE feels reflective, understated and deeply rooted in the tension between memory and what remains in the present.
Nostalgia sounds better when it still has somewhere to go.
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