Matt Koenig, the Pittsburgh-born musician who goes by the moniker The Undercover Dream Lovers, has been serving up lush dream-pop for some time. Now, he's readying his first album that fuses his love for psychedelic indie rock and nostalgic synthpop.
The latest offering is "You Don't Have To Be Lonely," premiering on Billboard today (Jan. 15). Its bright, synth-based melodies are served best with a cherry popsicle and a sandy beach, making you long for the upcoming summer months. "Wrapped up in a feeling / locked up in your head all the time," he sings on the chorus, urging you to get on the dancefloor and outside of all the thoughts holding you back.
"It was really unexpected how ‘You Don’t Have to be Lonely’ came together. I originally thought the record was complete," Koenig tells Billboard. "For fun, I got together with my keyboardist to work on a song, which we had been talking about doing for a while."
"It all came together quickly and we both really liked it, so I ended up adding an 11th song to the record," he adds. "Funny enough, a few weeks later, I worked on another song with some friends and ended up swapping out a different song on the record for that one. I’m really happy with the way the album turned out. "
"You Don't Have To Be Lonely" follows previous singles "Plane Ride" and "A Way Out," which will all be found on The Undercover Dream Lovers' debut full-length album It's All in Your Head, set for a Feb. 28 release.
Check out the new single, as well as upcoming dates (which are part of a larger tour), below.
The Undercover Dream Lovers 2020 Dates
February 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
April 20 – Norman, OK @ Opolis
April 22 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
April 24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Music Hall & Café
April 25 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake Hotel