Biography

Austin-based singer/songwriter Matt Kivel began working as a player in various bands including the indie-minded Princeton, and later played guitar in the garage pop band Gap Dream. Around 2013, Kivel quit playing with other bands to focus on his solo material. The first evidence of his work came in the form of some limited-run cassettes, but he truly came into his own with 2013's full-length album Double Exposure, released on the Olde English Spelling Bee label, which received an 8.0 rating from Pitchfork. Kivel's solo work took a decidedly more subdued path than his previous affiliations, with shimmering ambient synths meeting muted acoustic songwriting and understated vocals. Second album Days of Being Wild, recorded with Palace Brothers member Paul Oldham over the course of one summer, saw release on the Woodsist label in 2014. Third and fourth albums Janus and Fires on the Plain were released by Driftless Recordings in 2016. Janus was recorded in Glasgow, Scotland and was produced by folk musician Alasdair Roberts. Fires on the Plain features duets with Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes. In 2019, Kivel released his 5th album "last night in america" on the Cascine and PYL record labels. AllMusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars and chose it as an "Album Pick." In 2020, Kivel released the ambient instrumental album 'that day, on the beach' and in summer of 2022, released a new single, "find love," featuring Bonnie "Prince" Billy.