Mental gymnastics in a relationship can get us so far down, that we lose sight of who we are and what we’re feeling.

Sam Ellis knows that feeling, and he captures the vibe on his latest single, “Matter.” The Nashville-based alt-pop artist — who draws inspiration from a wide range of artists including Elliott Smith, Stevie Wonder, and Tyler, The Creator — began writing the song about two years ago, coming up with an 8-bar loop for the chorus. Ellis then completed the project after revisiting it in 2020 — although at first, releasing a song with such personal lyrics was a tricky proposition.

“These lyrics are a very personal look a relationship where I felt conflicted about caring about a person, and feeling like I could not do anything right, or that I was not good enough to be with that person,” Ellis said. “At the time, the self-doubt I felt because of that made me really wish I just didn’t care about the person and could move on. I also had a hard time talking about how I felt at the time, but it was all that was ever on my mind. In a way, this song is sort of a retroactive therapy that helped me move on from that time in my life.”

“Matter” is the first of many projects coming from Ellis, who has plans to release a series of three EPs beginning this year. For now, let go of some of those old feelings by vibing with this single below!