Matthew Lee and the Standbys return with “Black Book“, a retro-indie rock album steeped in vulnerability, resilience, and two decades of lived experience. Led by Indiana-born, New York-based singer-songwriter Matthew Lee Patterson, the project marks a deeply personal shift—one that moves away from theatre roots and cover-band gigs into the lane he says he was always meant to travel.
In our conversation, Matthew Lee opens up about the decades-long journey behind these songs, the challenge of turning scattered memories into a cohesive narrative, and how “untethering” became the heartbeat of the record. He also talks production quirks—including the running joke of adding accordion—and the powerful idea of “durable vulnerability” that he hopes listeners carry with them.
First of all, Who is Matthew Lee Patterson?
Matthew: I’m a singer-songwriter from Indiana, now based in New York City. I originally came here for musical theatre and found some modest success there before drifting toward cover bands, which felt closer to who I really was. I still step back into the theatre occasionally – our last two records were pop-punk Broadway cover EPs – but this new work feels like the lane I was always meant to travel. My band, Matthew Lee and the Standbys, is a celebration of owning the decision to stay in my lane, with some of my best friends in tow.
Why call the album “Black Book”?
Matthew: For years, I’d been drawn to the idea of writing an album centered on relationships, with partners, with myself, with substances – and framing it like an old-fashioned ‘little black book’. Those were once places where people kept names, secrets and fragments of personal history. I wanted to capture that same intimacy and exposure – a kind of personal gossip archive that reveals more than you mean to.
You wrote these songs over a decade. Why release them together now?
Matthew: It’s actually closer to two decades. Dorothy was the first song I ever wrote, back in 2006, and the last song written for the record was finished just weeks before we sent it to press. For a long time, I felt there was already so much great music in the world – I didn’t need to add to the noise. But after recording Another Round in 2023, my producer, Zack, and my partner, Carly, quite literally cornered me at a bar in midtown and told me it was time. It was a coup of my own story, but I’m grateful they gave me the push I didn’t know I needed.
What was the biggest challenge in weaving these songs into one cohesive story?
Matthew: Sequencing, without question. My first instinct was to arrange the songs chronologically so the listener could trace the narrator’s growth, but it didn’t flow. Then I tried ordering by tone or theme, almost like a song cycle, but that felt too calculated. Eventually, I stepped back and treated the songs like old journal entries; taking my own timeline out of it and reshaping them into something new. It became less about my life and more about what these stories could mean together.
How does the music itself reflect the themes of “untethering”?
Matthew: The contrast shows up most clearly in Falling Apart – the narrator is unraveling inside the most structured, formulaic song on the record. We also used alternate tunings and nearly de-tuned guitars with intentionally uneasy layers on songs like Dark Eyes and Zirconium to create a quiet tension beneath the surface. What I love most, though, is the way the record moves: from the moment of collapse to the last hint of defiant restoration. By Rivers In Your Eyes the walls are down, and My, Oh My builds a new kind of armor to close the album out.
You used layered synths and accordion on the album. What was the goal of adding those specific, unexpected textures to a retro-emo/indie-rock base?
Matthew: That was mostly Zack’s doing – he’s a master of finding beauty in silence. My initial concept was simple; guitar, bass, drums vocals. But Zack would find these small spaces in the mix and experiment with different tones until something stuck. The accordion became a bit of a running joke between us – it found its way onto nearly every track of Another Round, and it ended up feeling like the right bed for my voice again for this record. There’s also a bit of a wink to the Gin Blossoms and Counting Crows in those textures, which I love. And, selfishly, it means I get to play keytar live – a joy I’ll never turn down.
What does “resilience” mean to you, and how is it portrayed on the album?
Matthew: Resilience and untethering are really two sides of the same coin. As the record progresses, you can hear layers of polish fall away. But what’s left isn’t ruin, it’s endurance. The narrator moves from needing to be heard to simply wanting to speak, and eventually to claiming their voice outright. By the time the rope has frayed until it snaps, it’s not about being understood anymore – it’s about being free.
Which band or musician influenced this project?
Matthew: With twenty years of writing feeding into one record, the influences are wide-ranging. There’s some early ‘90s country in Dark Eyes, Foo Fighters in Ashamed, a touch of Bush, Jonathan Larson, Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbook Romance, Sondheim, Passenger, Thirsty Merc – all filtered through the lens of The Weakerthans. I wanted it to feel like a love letter to every artist who’s lived in my headphones since the dawn of the iPod.
What’s Next for Matthew Lee and the Standbys?
Matthew: We’re planning an East Coast tour for 2026, and hopefully a short solo run in the UK and Ireland. Mostly, I’m excited to share these songs in person; to meet new people, eat well, and find the best pints wherever we land.
What’s the main message you hope listeners take from “Black Book”?
Matthew: Durable vulnerability – the idea that tenderness and perseverance can coexist. These stories are real, and the emotions behind them are, too. My hope is that listeners feel it’s possible to see things through – no matter how long it takes, or how much you have to grow to get there.
Message to readers?
Matthew: Be unafraid to expose yourself. Someone out there needs what you create. The world gets smaller every day, and our job as artists is to strengthen those invisible threads between ourselves and the people searching for resonance.
With Black Book, Matthew Lee and the Standbys have crafted more than an album — they’ve built a lived-in archive of heartbreak, growth, and the kind of resilience that only reveals itself over time. It’s a project shaped by twenty years of writing, countless influences, and a willingness to examine life without polish, letting the cracks become part of the story.
