LA-by-way-of-NY rock artist Lippy conjures hooks that rock any space they ring out in, be that the world’s most famous arenas to the space between your headphones. As cofounder, singer, songwriter, and keyboardist for The Shadowboxers, Lippy’s Matt Lipkins new septet of singles are the clarion call of an absolute pro stepping into a solo career with all the skills, songs, and ability to execute necessary for an unforgettable debut. A veteran of pop and soul, Lipkins stepped into this project with a core goal: Make an undeniable rock record featuring his formidable writing, skyscraping vocals, boundless energy, and huge heart. The result is seven hard punches to the jaw, dizzying tracks that get stuck in your head as you’re hearing them the first time.

Under Justin Timberlake’s tutelage as openers for the Man of the Woods tour, Lipkins and his bandmates in The Shadowboxers learned to harness their formidable talents to dazzling results on the literal biggest stages. Distinguished for their soaring, crystalline three-part vocal harmonies, the band received plaudits and endorsements from virtually every name in music from Timberlake to Pharrell, performing on Today, gracing the pages of Billboard and Time, and lending tracks to feature films. That decade’s worth of recording, touring, and writing left Lipkins a veteran with a surfeit of songs representing another part of himself that needed its own spotlight. These were songs that didn’t draw from the BeeGees or Stevie Wonder but from other influences like Wings, or contemporaries like Haim. Lippy became, in his words, “an opportunity to make the music I've always wanted to.” 

Any of these seven songs could be a single, so they all are. With production from Louis Johnson (GAYLE, Lonas, Jake Etheridge, Homes At Night) and mixing from Paul Kimsal (GAYLE, Marissa Maino), Matt Lipkins comes crashing through the front door of rock music, weaving arena rock steeped in soul. There are moments when it sounds like 40,000 concertgoers are about to join in screaming revelry, and others when it sounds like Lipkins is leaning in to sing only to you. He has the range and, by his own sacred vow, he’s going to make it.