Dante Matas is a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Toronto. He began by writing music at a young age before forming his first band at Etobicoke School of the Arts where he majored in visual art. In university, Dante studied philosophy and completed an MA in the field. Today, Dante combines his wide-ranging interests to make his own unique brand of new wave bedroom pop, psychedelic folk, and lo-fi electronic music. Dante’s music tends to have a contemplative and introspective character to it, but never at the expense of a catchy melody.
After releasing multiple albums and singles between 2017-2019, Dante is steadily putting out new songs each month in 2021 and 2022. The singles are grouped into several EPs spanning different genres, moods, and musical landscapes. The first EP is called The Place I Want to Be and was released on July 16, 2021. It is inspired by lo-fi and psychedelic folk music. The second EP is called Avoid Discipline. It’s a very different record inspired by hyper-melodic synth-pop with a new wave twist.
Dante’s music has been used in commercials, PSAs, popular YouTube channels, and is played on both Canadian and American college and specialty radio. Dante writes and records daily, has toured throughout Canada with his band and has recently taken up video production and art direction for his music. Dante’s overall drive is to communicate human emotion through music and lyrics in a way that resonates with a diverse audience.
Name:
Dante Matas
Genre:
Bedroom pop, indie pop
Founded:
1992
# of Albums:
1 album, 3 EPs, countless singles and much more music on the way!
Latest Release:
Fear of Losing (1st single from the upcoming Avoid Discipline EP)
Latest Single:
Fear of Losing
Latest Video:
Favourite musician as a teenager:
Radiohead
Favourite musician now:
Sufjan Stevens
Guilty Pleasure Song:
Pretend to be Nice – Josie and the Pussycats
Live Show Ritual:
I always wear a wristband for some reason. I have 3 different ones that look pretty much the same.
Favourite local artist:
Andy Shauf
EP or LP?
EP! They are like short stories instead of novels
Early bird or night owl?
Night owl
Road or studio?
Studio
Any shows or albums coming up?
Every 6 weeks I’ve been releasing new music. I just put out a lo-fi folk record called The Place I Want to Be over the past few months. I’m currently releasing my next EP, Avoid Discipline with the first single “Fear of Losing”. I also made a music video for the track that you can find on YouTube!
Rapid Fire Qs on Toronto
Favourite local Restaurant:
La Bella Managua
Favourite Street:
Queen St. W because it has everything I could possibly need
Favourite Park?
High Park, Bickford Park
Favourite Music Venue?
Burdock Music Hall, The Cameron House, Gladstone Hotel
Favourite Toronto Staple?
Sam James Coffee Bar
Where can we follow you?
Youtube | Spotify | Instagram | Bandcamp | Official website
