Arlo Matthews - Model Rockets (2026) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Model Rockets
02. In the Meadow
03. Carmelina
04. Fortune Teller
05. The Long Drive Home
06. Wickham Road
07. Wasted Time
08. Don't Wish Away Your Life
09. Suddenly I'm Gone

Model Rockets is the second studio album from American folk rock musician and singer-songwriter Arlo Matthews. The album spans a variety of styles and features a number of different collaborators in an effort to diversify Matthews' sound from his last album, Waiting for Daybreak.

The album centers around lyrical depictions of Matthews' real-life struggles with moving away from home in Connecticut and transitioning to life as an adult in Boston, taking a lot of time to highlight important moments and places that shaped his development as well as discussing what the future could possibly have in store for him. While songs like “In the Meadow,” “Carmelina,” and “Wickham Road” tend to lean more into aspects of traditional folk storytelling, much of the album is autobiographical and rooted in personal nostalgia.

Ideas for the album began to take shape even before the release of Waiting for Daybreak, when Matthews initially came up with the first verse and chorus idea for “Model Rockets“ in September of 2022. In the first half of 2023, Matthews would finish writing ”Don’t Wish Away Your Life,“ Carmelina,” “Model Rockets,” and “In the Meadow.”

The initial concept of the album was that it would have a more optimistic outlook, which Matthews believed was more reflective of his personality as opposed to Waiting for Daybreak’s largely morose and angry themes. “What Couldn’t We Do,” released over that same summer, was supposed to spearhead the sound of that project before ultimately not making the cut for the final album.

The sound of the album additionally took inspiration from the local DIY music scene that Matthews witnessed in Boston, with much of the dynamics being informed by spirited Allston basement shows that Matthews attended and played while in college. It was while Matthews was starting to perform more frequently around the city as the Arlo Matthews Band throughout 2024 that the rest of the songs began to take shape and the album’s concept became more solidified. The new concept for the project became a “Side A” of sorts that showcased the more optimistic outlook and a “Side B” that featured the more conflicted and angsty-sounding songs.

In June of 2024, the initial studio sessions began back at Dirt Floor Recording & Production, where Matthews had recorded his previous releases. The first session focused on “Model Rockets,” “In the Meadow,” and “Carmelina,” with most of the basic instrumentals being completed on the day. The band for the session was composed of the members of Off By One: Tyler Eld on bass guitar, Matthew DeSario on drums, and Aaron Leventhal on guitar. This was the main lineup of the Arlo Matthews Band at the time, and would become the primary band for most of the album. Eld and DeSario would end up playing on seven of the nine tracks, all of the bass and drums on the album.

In August of the same year, Matthews would return to the studio with fellow Boston artist Serena Jade to complete the overdubs for “In the Meadow,” in lieu of Matthews' band not being available for the session. The next time the band would record new material for the album would be in that December, when the initial tracks for “Wasted Time” and “Suddenly I’m Gone” were recorded. Notably, that session would be the last-ever tracking session to happen at Dirt Floor’s Haddam location before they moved their base of operations to Middletown, CT.

The recording process was halted going into 2025, as it was Matthews' senior year of college and the focus turned towards graduation/other unrelated work. The band would reconvene with the addition of Overlöded bandmate Aiden Bonilla on guitar for one final tracking session in August of 2025, to record the base tracks of “Fortune Teller” and “Wickham Road.” Aside from acoustic guitar overdubs for “Suddenly I’m Gone,” the album was then pulled out of Dirt Floor for overdub work to be completed in Boston at Arlo’s home studio and the nearby Studio 52 that fall.

During this time, Matthews would record the stripped-down “Don’t Wish Away Your Life” on bandmate Julian Spector’s porch, as well as developing an interlude track called “The Long Drive Home” to connect the two sides of the album. In between shows, Matthews would work with Spector, Bonilla, Phineas Potter, and Eva Repp at his apartment to do further detailed overdubs before reaching out to other artists he wanted to feature on the album. One such artist Matthews reached out to was percussionist Lenny Castro, a storied session musician most known for his work with the band Toto, to play congas on the last track. This was a real full-circle moment for Matthews, as much of his music and the album in particular was inspired by the ethos of the recording processes from the 70s and 80s. Other artists who played on the release included people Matthews had seen perform in and around Boston while he was writing the album.

The final overdubs for the album were completed in February of 2026, with Matthews waiting on parts to be flown in by other collaborators who were recording in other states or overseas. The album was then mixed and mastered that spring, later being announced to release on April 25, 2026.