Following his 2016 record ‘Man With the Anvil Hat’, Whitaker dedicated the following years to recording and touring extensively across the UK and Europe with HENGE, releasing four albums of high-energy, rave-infused prog. In contrast, ‘Songs for the Weary’ offers a serene listening experience - eight gentle compositions featuring subtly intricate harmony, delicate classical guitar, and warm instrumentation.
October 2025 marked the release of debut single “Lucid Dreamer” - a lush, cinematic composition that weaves sweeping strings, nostalgic melodies, and electronic textures into a spellbinding whole. The music finds its visual counterpart in a hypnotic video directed by acclaimed artist Antony Barkworth-Knight. Filmed at Manchester’s Supermassive visual installation, the piece brings Whitaker’s vision to life with breathtaking, ethereal detail.
Co-produced and arranged in collaboration with longtime friend and neighbor Alan Keary (Shunya), the album weaves Whitaker’s compositions with lush string arrangements and subtle electronic elements. The project also features an impressive lineup of guest musicians, including Alabaster DePlume, Rob Turner (GoGo Penguin, Mammal Hands, Elf Traps), Liviu George (Matt Halsall, Elf Traps), as well as his HENGE bandmates Roy Medhurst, Pete Turner, and Sam Draper.
The album opens with “Overture”, where a lush string orchestra weaves a blissful, harmonised melody over a kitschy lo-fi drum loop, the rich instrumentation reminiscent of Henry Mancini’s “Lujon”. The track cinematically segues into “Mind How You Go”, a lullaby told from the perspective of a worried mother urging her loved one to stay safe on the roads.
Next comes “Chestnut Tree”, a song brimming with gentle, jaunty charm and a nostalgic sense of old-fashioned Englishness. Closing out Side A of this 10” vinyl is “Lucid Dreamer”, a cosmic tribute to the dream world. With its lush orchestration and sweeping melodies, the track wouldn’t be out of place on a ‘best of’ collection from 1960s crooners like Andy Williams or Engelbert Humperdinck, discreetly modernized with dreamy electronic zaps.
Side B opens with “Logan Stone”, a piece with a vaguely bossa nova feel, once again featuring rich, full orchestration. This is followed by “For The Weary”, a hypnotic kind of cowboy jazz featuring Alabaster DePlume on saxophone, its melody imbued with a stately, restrained pathos.
“A Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man” offers a wry, autobiographical reflection—an imagined future of creative disappointments and career regrets. Whitaker plays a saw solo in direct reference to the song’s lyrics, adding a hauntingly comical touch.
The album reaches its finale with the meekly defiant “Stand Up to the Man”. A string quartet accompanies Whitaker as he urges: “Don’t let your anxiety reduce your audacity.” The track delivers a gently stirring message: “Though nothing may change, protest anyway. Have something to say, though your voice shakes.”
Ultimately Matthew wants listening to this album to be a comforting, pleasurable experience.
“I recommend that you listen to this album somewhere comfortable. A cozy chair or beanbag, or perhaps in the bath.”
The album’s artwork is an oil painting by acclaimed portrait artist Simon Davis, showing a weary looking Whitaker depicted as an old man.
Tracklist
- Overture
- Mind How You Go
- Chestnut Tree
- Lucid Dreamer
- Logan Stone
- For the Weary (ft. Alabaster DePlume)
- A Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man
- Stand up to the Man
UK Tour Dates
Matthew C. Whitaker (HENGE)
with Shunya
14/02/26 - Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
15/02/26 - Golden Lion, Todmorden
17/02/26 - Kazimier Stockroom, Liverpool
18/02/26 - Leith Depot, Edinburgh
19/02/26 - Cobalt Studios, Newcastle
20/02/26 - Cafe No9, Sheffield
02/03/26 - The Grove, Nottingham
03/03/26 - Barrelhouse, Totnes
04/03/26 - Cornish Bank, Falmouth
05/03/26 - The Jam Jar, Bristol
07/03/26 - MOTH Club, London
08/03/26 - Folklore Rooms, Brighton
10/03/26 - Band on the Wall, Manchester