Hover, but it’s just Matt, but it’s still Hover

Abby McCabe

Local Music Director

It’s been almost a year since I published my long-form interview with singer, composer, music nerd-extroidinaire, Matt Abajian (Which you can read here… it’s great), and almost a full year since I was introduced to the wonderful world of Hover, an Austin-based electronic neo-folk project led by Matt and friends.

After being introduced to the avant-jam vehicle, I had no idea how long I’d spend chasing that high. 

When you dedicate so much time listening to music, you know how special it is when you find that certain something that just sticks with you. And for me, it was Hover’s “How Lucky I’ve Been.” A gut-wrenching lyrical confession masquerading as a sickly-sweet psychedelic-pop medley. 

It itched a part of my brain that I didn’t even know needed scratching… but, that’s Hover for you. 

As I fell deeper down the rabbit hole, there were times I’d find myself sitting in utter disbelief. The feelings you experience listening to Hover’s music are just…so real and so physical. like you could pick them up and hold them in the palm of your hands. 

Tracks like Caspian Sea from their 2022 live album titled “…And Everything Was Better Forever,” left me overwhelmed, and struggling for breath as I sank further and further into the depths of the sound. 

Click here for Caspian Sea!

I wasn’t really planning on attending any unofficial SXSW shows, already having my plate full, running around downtown Austin like a chicken whose head had just been cut off—But… You can imagine how all that changed when I got word of a Hover performance for the first time in nearly two years. 

Upon further inspection of the event, I noticed something interesting… It wasn’t…Hover. Or, it wasn’t going to be Hover as I knew it, but a stripped-down version with a new setup and rearranged songs. And the really interesting part?

It was just Matt.

Once the initial confusion passed, my curiosity was unfettered. The last time I had spoken to Matt, we talked about Hover’s hiatus and what that meant for the band’s future—and at the time, I didn’t exactly get a clear answer, but one thing was for certain: Hover was not done. And I wasn’t done with Hover. (So it’s a good thing we were on the same page!)

The Hover-Matt-solo extravaganza took place on March 14th at the Friendly Rio Market. One of the best intimate venues Austin has to offer. And it really has no other choice but to BE intimate, as it is quite literally—a functioning convenience store. But true to its name, the Friendly Rio Market made me feel right at home, sandwiched between strangers and a wall of candy bars.

I showed up a few minutes early, just in time to catch Matt soundchecking how wail-proof the microphone was, and oddly enough, that’s when it all became real. I already knew Matt was real—of course. I’d interviewed him a year ago and had since kept up with his experimental solo work, but seeing him from an audience perspective, where he was clearly in his element, was a very different experience. 

And this was truly a stripped-down set. Featuring only a guitar and a laptop, plus a plethora of effects pedals. It made me wonder how exactly he was going to make up for the loss of the violin and the various textures contributed by the band. 

The answer to that question was all in the rearrangements. When I heard the first few notes of How Lucky I’ve been, I thought— yeah. That’s it. (I was so starstruck I completely forgot to record a video… which is arguably more impressive than any evidence I could’ve ever provided.) Instead of approaching the track in the traditional pop sense, he opted for an airier, acoustic version that legitimately had me fighting back tears.

As the set continued, I watched Matt slowly ease back into live performance. With each song, he became a little more sure of himself. With each chord, or weird-looping-guitar effect, I saw him physically open up to the audience. His voice rang through the Friendly Rio Market, reverberating off the walls in scattered waves; the amplifier being loud enough to send the average listener to another dimension… Who knows what it could’ve done to a small Victorian child… 

Like what you might imagine the inside of a fever dream sounds like, each note was purposefully hazy and weirdly brilliant. 

I didn’t think the set could get any better…(I was wrong)

And before I knew what was happening, the familiar tune of Animal Collective’s “Peacebone” came pouring from Matt. It was as unexpected as it was beautiful, and a tasteful nod to Hover’s origin. (If you know, you know.) At this point, I could tell the nerves had worn off; comfortable in the familiar rhythm of performance, he was starting to really have fun.

Watching Matt’s solo set at the Friendly Rio Mart brought me back to my first listen. All the excitement I felt upon discovering something so meaningful and full of life came flooding back in an instant. It reminded me of why I fell in love with Hover’s music. 

Because they’re not just some local band that’s kind of good, or a stationary safe act where you can expect to find them at the same bar, putting on the same performance, with the same expectations. Hover’s the kind of band you discover by accident, and think about for the rest of your life. It’s an ever-evolving sonic experiment that, yes, at times feels like waking up from a sweaty, fever-induced nap. But that’s what separates it from everything else out there. 

If this is what Hover can do with only one performing member, I shudder to think what they’ll be capable of operating at full capacity. But until then, I’ll be waiting patiently, ready to sink my teeth into whatever it is that comes next.

How lucky I am to have stumbled upon Austin’s best-kept secret. 

After his set, Matt and I had the opportunity to catch up, chatting all things solo and Hover-related. Featured below is a snippet from our conversation. Enjoy!

Where’s the rest of ya?

Matt: They’re still scattered about. Peter was supposed to be here, but had to go see family at the last minute, and Casey’s still in Michigan, and Noah’s in Ohio, Jay’s in the valley.

Wow, you guys are all over the place…

Matt: Yeah… First, this was gonna be like– a Matt solo set, quote unquote. And then we got Peter on board, so it turned into Hover officially, but then… Peter had to leave. And then I was like, well… I’m just gonna play Hover songs anyway, so f*ck it! I’m Hover. 

How did it feel to be performing again after nearly two years?

Matt: Kind of bizarre. I’ve only performed once by myself, and that was more than two years ago.

Were you nervous?

Matt: I was very nervous during the first song, and then it kind of just—shed. It was interesting because rehearsing felt very, very different than it used to, but by the time the second song rolled around, I was like oh, this feels exactly how I remember. 

Hopefully you had fun up there, I know I did.

Matt: I did. It was fun. It’s always very cathartic, and I mean, doing it after that long, it’s like, hypercathartic in a certain way. 

The setlist was so good. I really enjoyed hearing all the rearrangements.

Matt: Thanks. How Lucky I’ve been, the first song typically has a bigger arrangement, but I decided to play the stripped-down version, like I’ve done before. And the Second song, Styrofoam, is pretty similar. Then there was the Peacebone cover, and the last song was a totally re-worked version of a song we did called Up. It’s usually a lot faster, and has a LOT of drugs.

Click here for Up!

The peacebone cover was such a fun surprise

Matt: Thank you. And that’s just a thing I do sitting in my house all the time– I’d never played the Peacebone cover before, so I thought, why not try it out. 

I went home and listened to Animal Collective’s “Strawberry Jam” after our first meeting, and it was like, where have I been this whole time.

Matt: There you go. It was great, right?

You know I have to ask… Can we expect new material from Hover any time soon?

Matt: We’ve been sitting on a live tape from the last pre-hiatus shows… And I’ve just been waiting to put it out, because I don’t wanna randomly put it out, and then not be playing shows. So if I keep the ball rolling with this, that should come out. It’s another tape Tom did for us. But Hover, you know, I haven’t been writing many pop songs because I don’t have anybody to play them with. And it’s fun to do that, you know? But not so much on your own.

What about your solo stuff?

Matt: I’m always trying to put recordings together of my own stuff. I’ve been writing a lot of ensemble pieces. I wrote a piece for this sextet group from Galatia, and the recordings turned out really well, so I’m producing that right now. That should come out at some point. I’m also always working on electronic stuff. I’m working with JanuibeTejera, the professor at UT right now, and he wants me over this summer to try to make, like, an hour to 90 minutes worth of electronic stuff. It’ll hopefully be Austerity Gospel two, and hopefully— some other thing. But yes, I’ve been writing lots of chamber music, lots of fixed electronics, and I’ve been trying to get a little bit into sound sculpture and some other kind of wacko things like that— I’m trying to build a little man.

Click here for Uncongeal!

I definitely heard that— in what you just released. My first thought was, I feel like I’m in a metal tube and I’m being rolled around.

Matt: H*ll yeah. It’s—yeah. Long, long sounds. Appreciate it.