seven years ago, matt hall (morph) had a series of psychedelic experiences that resulted in months of psychosis and derealization. 

morph’s debut ep, “this is all a dream” confronts the dissolution of lifelong certainties and embarks on a journey of self-reconstruction.

the central theme of the project inspires the listener to embrace their free will more expansively. it invites them to envision themselves not only as a character in life's play but also as the director, screenwriter, composer, and costume designer—awakening to the vast agency inherent in their existence. through the embodiment of this idea, we are able to explore the depths of our creative potential and recognize the profound influence we possess over our everyday experiences.

morph infuses the project with spiritual allegory. certain songs (“nothing’s real” & “armageddon”) beg us to question what we know about consensus reality. who decides what is and isn’t real? moments of disenchantment that convey conventional success isn’t all it is made out to be. we hear morph lose his faith in mainstream institutions and religion before rediscovering his spirituality in later songs. “i’ll be there” is a love letter from God to the listener. “in your dreams” is morph achieving self-actualization, comfort in his skin, and playful passion. 

sonically, the project prioritizes the essence of emotion in sound selection, conveying feelings through a diverse range of tones. there’s a magic to the lo-fi imperfection that feels relatable and resonant. the warm saturation of a free acoustic piano found on the side of the road. the rich hollow-bodied hofner bass. a pocket drum kit that matt covered with towels and kitchen rags. however, morph juxtaposes the simplicity of the back line with selective chaos. distorted synths ran through guitar pedals. acoustic guitars ran through dirty synth patches. 

the crux of “old boy” features an organ, a wobbly acoustic, a wailing stratocaster gifted to matt by a mentor, reverberated whistles and ad-libs, and his girlfriend singing out of tune. it’s style is remnant of indie cult classics: spiritualized, mgmt, and radiohead to name a few. you can also hear some modern lo-fi indie rock inspiration from the likes of drugdealer, mild high club, and moments of andy shauf-esque folk. 

aside from a single bass line and a rhodes solo played by former band mates, all of the sounds and instruments are played, engineered, produced, and mixed by matt in the garage studio he built in austin. the final touches were placed with the help of ruddy lee cullers (yeah yeah yeah’s, bright eyes, yoko ono) and dave trumfio the esteemed owner of kingsize soundlabs in eagle rock. 

“this is all a dream” is paired wonderfully by an album-length short film shot on super 8mm film by matt & his girlfriend. the visual component mirrors the analog texture of the music and serves as a vehicle for the narrative arch of the songs.