“The thing that really gets me about Matthew Mole is that he only seems surprised when the audience claps,” says Matthew Fink.
We’re watching Just Music’s producer give a speech at a private late lunch in a building that has the northern suburbs as a backdrop, but the scene inside is more picturesque.The speech is to hand over a gold plaque to singer-songwriter Mole for his groundbreaking first album in 2013, The Home We Built. It is also to pat him on the back and give him his platinum plaque for his single, Take Yours, Take Mine, selling more than 32 000 units.
Mole’s parents are present, as are his wife, mom-in-law and sister. It’s an intimate affair, but even when they all clap, Mole stands there with his hands full, thanks to the plaques, and seems genuinely surprised that everyone is applauding him.That might be because when he makes music, he doesn’t have the accolades top of mind. It’s clear when I sit down with the artist a few weeks after his second album, Run, is released.
“It was nice to be in a position where people were waiting for a second album,” he says of the success of his first album that debuted at No 1 on the iTunes chart and made history.
“But it took quite long to put out the second album and I didn’t know if people would still be interested. I feel like they’ve received Run nicely, but I did feel a little pressure. I specifically thought, ‘will this song work for the album?’ I didn’t just write songs for fun and then bring them together.”
The 24-year-old says although he has two albums under his belt, he doesn’t feel like he can rest on his laurels.
“I still feel like I have so much to learn,” he confesses. What he has learnt thus far has been poured into his lyrics. The first single off his second album is also titled Run and on it, he sings: You’re gonna run away from the storm/you’ll be ashamed for ever and ever.”People, and myself, tend to run away from things instead of facing them,” Mole tells me.
“You run away because you feel like you’re going to be ashamed if you face it. But then you live with another kind of shame because you’re like, ‘I’m such an idiot because I never face things.’”
In addition to songs like For My Folks, Mole’s familial love is evident in ditties like Jess’ Song. I ask him if, with lyrics like my lovely bride, you’re a part of me, this new song is a companion piece for The Wedding Song off his debut.
“I actually sang that song for Jess at our wedding,” he shares, “but it is not related to The Wedding Song. The Wedding Song wasn’t about a person specifically. It was just the idea of two people committing to each other. This new song was specifically about my wife. I intended for that song to only be played at our wedding and maybe if Jess wanted me to play it for her again at home, I would. But I thought, ‘I really like this and maybe people can be touched by it in some way’. It was the last song that I wrote that went with the songs that were on the album.”
Another cool song on Run is called Light and it is just that. The most sonically lo-fi of the lot, Light is really pretty.
“I was thinking of releasing that first because it’s so different from what I’ve done before,” Mole says.
“Light is one of the songs that came the most naturally. It reflects what I’ve been listening to over the past two years. It’s got a bit of an R&B vibe to it. I don’t think I have enough soul to be smooth like that, but I’ve been listening to music with those sort of elements.”Mole doesn’t seem to like the idea of being still. I point out that his new album opens with the sound of trains (which were recorded with a friend in London), it is called Run and he has an aeroplane tattoo on his arm.
“It’s not something that was in my face, that I was aware of,” he admits. “One of the themes is not physically running, but the idea that you’re not facing stuff. With the tattoos, I have the plane and a feather – for flight – and I wanted to get a train or car, too,” he laughs.
The Western Cape-bred artist says: “But ever since I was in school, I actually haven’t just lived in one place until Joburg. I guess I like that change of scenery and places. Now that I’m married, I’ve been in one place for about a year.”Mole will be up and about again for the next few months, as he’ll be touring the country performing these new songs.
“Next year I’ll reveal my international plans,” he smiles.
Matthew Mole’s new album, Run, is available now.