Pleasant Surprise by Atari Ferrari

We recorded most of these songs at my home at the start of 2020, and I spent most of 2020-21 overdubbing, re-recording, and otherwise slipping in and out of sanity, in sync with the rest of the planet.

The songs in here are about an outsider’s struggle to find hope in a world that just keeps becoming harder to relate to, or perhaps just more polarized. There are the people who are trying to live out some nostalgic, idealistic version of the past, and there are the people so hung up on the future, that they overlook the beauty of the here & now. It’s hard not to be swept up into one of those opposing versions of reality, as to be hopeful in the present moment can be extremely alienating.

I’ve never seen a collective discourse on feelings of isolation quite like the events of 2020 allowed for, so oddly enough, I found comfort in all of that. When I finished the album, I wrote one more for good measure: Keep Lookin’. I’m keeping it in my head for now to remind me to stay hopeful - to remain open to the “Pleasant Surprise” ... you can use it for that too, if you like. - Matthew

Tracklist

1.	Do You Wanna Be In Love?	1:12

2.	Heartbreaker	4:12

3.	River	4:26

4.	Never On Time	3:59

5.	El Camino	4:21

6.	Do Monstra Triste	0:55

7.	Ocean	4:07

8.	In The Middle Of It All	2:22

9.	Madman	4:16

10.	Alien	3:48

11.	The Way I Look Tonight	3:09

12.	For You	4:02

13.	Open Your Eyes	4:33

14.	Pleasant Surprise	2:46

15.	Do You Wanna Be A God?	4:14

16.	Keep Lookin'	4:16

Credits

released August 31, 2021

Matthew Joseph Hughes
vocals, guitar, piano,
synth, acoustic, the occasional lead,
harmonica, production

Henry Schultz
vocals, lead guitar,
piano, other keys

Eric Woodard
rhythm guitar, alien bass

Scott Schultz
bass, dance moves

Rob Shugert
lead drums

with Sabrina Ellis
backup Heartbreakers

and Cody Brooks
hand drums & shakers

License