Matthew Koma Is not ‘Prepared’ to Write Songs About Fatherhood or Marriage (Unique)

• Matthew Koma’s band Winnetka Bowling League launched their debut album, Sha La La, on Could 31
• The album finds Koma reflecting on his years as a 20-something and getting hyper-specific about his life
• The band will go on tour later in June, shortly after Koma and spouse Hilary Duff welcomed their third daughter, Townes, final month

Greater than a decade into his profession, Matthew Koma’s first album is lastly right here.

On Could 31, the multi-hyphenate musician and producer’s band Winnetka Bowling League, additionally that includes Koma’s brother Kris Mazzarisi and Sam Beresford, launched their debut album Sha La La, a reflective assortment of songs encapsulating the frontman’s expertise in his 20s.

The choice venture comes from the attitude of Koma, now 37, who’s father to 3 daughters — Banks Violet, 5, Mae James, 3, and Townes, born in Could — shared with spouse Hilary Duff, who additionally has son Luca Cruz, 12, from a earlier marriage.

Sha La La was launched simply weeks after the pair welcomed Townes, which means Koma’s month of Could was fairly eventful — however which of the milestones was extra extremely anticipated? “Properly, I’ve had infants earlier than, however I haven’t put out an album,” Koma jokes to PEOPLE. “That being mentioned, positively the infant.”

Koma first rose to fame on this planet of dance music, notching hits together with Zedd and Foxes’ “Readability” as a songwriter in 2012 and Tiësto’s “Wasted” as a vocalist in 2014. After releasing varied singles and EPs as a solo artist, he launched Winnetka Bowling League in 2018 and put out a couple of extra short-form initiatives because the band discovered its footing by way of the COVID pandemic.

The debut album has been a very long time coming, however he’s blissful to have been capable of develop earlier than placing a full-length venture into the world. “One of the simplest ways I might put it’s, I really feel such as you get to attempt on a bunch of T-shirts earlier than you decide the one you are going to purchase and you are like, cool, that is the match, now I do know what colour I positively don’t need, and I do know that that one’s too tight,” says Koma.

“It simply feels a bit bit extra like we’re capable of say, ‘OK, we have arrived on the identification of this factor,’ which is cool,” he provides. “It feels actually good to have a physique that is a bit larger and seems like there is a bit extra for you to have the ability to dig your tooth into.”

All through his profession, Koma has made music with many collaborators, throughout a number of genres and below the steering of a number of report labels. With Winnetka Bowling League, he’s gotten the possibility to streamline his sound into what feels pure for him.

“It is a actually complicated course of to then attempt to reel it in again to love, ‘I wish to make s— that seems like me — what’s me? I do not know, it looks as if these individuals over right here have been telling me that that is me, and I nonetheless assume it is listening to Elvis Costello on Squeeze and s— that I grew up on,” he says. “After we began [the band], it was like, ‘Cool, the slate’s clear. Let’s solely function on the intestine feeling of, ‘Does this really feel consistent with one thing I wish to put out?’” 

The method resulted in an album solely Koma might’ve made, because the venture options hyper-specific lyrics about his experiences, from listening to Anderson .Paak whereas ordering meals at a Halal cart to Dawson’s Creek plot factors and never caring about astrology.

“It was enjoyable to only pause and take into consideration a few of the stuff that introduced us right here — or, selfishly, introduced me right here — in life and feeling considerably able to surviving, whether or not it is physique dysmorphia or psychological well being,” says Koma, who’s beforehand opened up about his expertise with an consuming dysfunction.

Some matters, nevertheless, weren’t on the desk as he wrote Sha La La. “I am probably not prepared, or I do not assume I am going to ever be hungry to narrate to an viewers on fatherhood or being an incredible husband. These simply aren’t the songs that I’ve ever heard and been like, ‘I wish to hearken to that repeatedly,’ and I do not actually care to share that half,” he provides.

In some unspecified time in the future sooner or later, Koma could really feel prepared to put in writing about Duff and their youngsters, however now’s not that point. “So lots of the songs I’ve written, it is such as you’re writing about struggle whilst you’re within the struggle, and it is good to be a bit faraway from it now and be capable to each justify the emotions that that individual had once I was in it and in addition pacify it a bit bit,” he says of crafting lyrics from a perspective of reflection.

Now that the album’s out on this planet, Winnetka Bowling League is getting ready to hit the highway later this month for a North American tour that lasts by way of late July. Regardless of Koma’s love for performing dwell, he didn’t precisely got down to journey with a new child at house when planning the live shows. 

“I don’t wish to f—ing go away,” admits the artist, who plans to fly house between many exhibits to spend time with household. “We plan issues in another way now than we did once we have been 18 and would tour for six months straight.”

With an adjusted schedule to account for fatherhood, the tour will probably be properly price it for Koma, who hasn’t performed an intensive string of Winnetka Bowling League exhibits in about two years.

“The hour-twenty on stage guidelines. It’s one of the best,” he says, excited to spend time with followers and his brother on the highway. “I feel having [Kris] as a part of it’s most likely one of many solely issues that retains me sane and in a position once we’re touring. It is like, ‘Alright, we’re nonetheless persevering with the factor we have been doing since we have been 2.’ However it’s robust to be away, for positive.”