Matt Kivel is an American singer-songwriter whose work represents a refined intersection of indie folk, slowcore, and subtle psychedelia. Emerging from the Los Angeles indie scene and formerly a member of the band Princeton, Kivel established a solo identity characterized by extreme intimacy and a 'shed-recorded' aesthetic.
His breakthrough, 'Days of Being Wild' (2014), was produced in collaboration with members of the band Woods, infusing his folk foundations with a lo-fi, sun-bleached psychedelic quality. His sound identity is built on close-miked acoustic instruments, breathy vocal delivery, and a lyrical focus on internal landscapes and domestic stillness. Critically, he is often compared to artists like Elliott Smith or Nick Drake for his technical precision and emotional fragility, yet his work maintains a uniquely Californian sense of light and space. Over his career, Kivel has moved between minimalist folk and more experimental, expansive arrangements on albums like 'Janus', consistently maintaining a reputation as a 'songwriter's songwriter' within the contemporary folk underground.
Shares minimalist percussion accents, slowcore, solitude, chamber folk (detail)
Shares stripped_back, solitude, chamber folk, cabin_in_woods (signature)
Shares stripped_back, solitude, chamber folk, cabin_in_woods (signature)
Shares stripped_back, solitude, chamber folk, cabin_in_woods (signature)
Shares stripped_back, solitude, chamber folk, cabin_in_woods (signature)
Shares stripped_back, solitude, chamber folk, cabin_in_woods (signature)
Shares reading, slowcore, chamber folk, indie folk (atmosphere)
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