Lawrence Matthews. Photo by Sam Leathers.
Lawrence Matthews (fka Don Lifted) has shared his first single of the year and — perhaps more importantly — the first song he’s released under his given name. “Green Grove (Our Loss)” is a tapestry of a track, weaving elements of hip-hop, soul, and breezy acoustic rock into a striking work of art.
Matthews hails from the Memphis metro area, and his music evokes powerful images of the south, describing tragic tales with a dark beauty informed by the wisdom of experience. “We’ve been describing this as southern gothic,” he says of the new track. “It’s all the things we know and love from the possibilities of maximalist hip-hop but with something darker under the surface; something rooted in the southern experience and the soil.”
Watch the black-and-white memory montage of a visualizer for “Green Grove (Our Loss),” co-directed by Matthews and his brother Martin, below.