Matt Costa is a living example of reinventing one’s self. The 25-year old songwriter is a skateboarder from Huntington Beach who suffered an accident that laid him up for a year and a half. He focused on music during his recovery, and music took over. He released his highly acclaimed debut album, Songs We Sing in 2006 and made a name as someone who spins widely varied, folky vagabond tales. His best work is found in songs like “Lilacs,” where his inner balladeer takes over, and “Vienna” where he sounds vaguely like Josh Rouse. But “Emergency Call” is the best song on this album, with a strange energy coursing through it, and a huge hook. He can get offtrack occasionally, but he always reels it in. This record deserves some mainstream airplay, and it would make sense for him to tour with Dashboard Confessional.
