Don Lifted is back and sharing an emotional journey

Facing emotions in the present can be scary. Sometimes there are new feelings and it’s hard to make up what they mean. Sometimes they can trigger past emotions that may have not been entirely healed as once thought. Yet there is something beautiful that can be formed once the guards have been put down and we allow ourselves to just immerse ourselves and escape into the feelings. For Memphis artist Lawrence Matthews, better known as Don Lifted, that was the drive for his latest album, 325i. 

2019 almost was the end of the Don Lifted persona. “It was just not where I wanted to be,” Matthews says. He booked a tour almost as a parting gift, to provide what he believed to be the end of an era. Yet, all it took was a phone call and he became a part of the Fat Possum Records roster. Now, two years later, he gifts people with 325i. A refined version, both lyrically and sonically, of the Don Lifted people saw years prior.

Starting off the album is “Golden (The Wait),” featuring MadameFraankie. The plucks on the electric guitar is the star of this production, sounding like velvet over a super simple drum beat. His words just glide over the beat in the softest way, despite the deep emotions he’s expressing. “Lost in Orion” immediately follows, keeping a similar sonic sound. Lyrically, Matthews bounces back between his anxiety, his struggle with achieving his dreams and the chaotic state of the world.

“Guest Parking ” features Desire, who provides ethereal vocals on the second half of the track. Singing simultaneously, the two artists add life to the lyrics. It’s easy to visualize them experiencing the exact feeling but distant from one another, yearning for them to find each other. “Brain Fluid” is a beautiful track, who’s video truly conveys the album’s themes of sanctuary and vulnerability. It’s evident that his role as a photographer and painter helped bring the story to life. From the angle shots to the color grade, the yearning to want what he sees others have is beautiful to watch.

“Darla (Love Me) comes in at a little over five minutes, being the longest song on the project. In such a poetic way, Matthews unravels his emotions and thoughts one by one. He tackles topic after topic, pleading for love and affection in order to help soothe him over a liquidy guitar. Comparing his emotions to the waves, his cries come out in lines such as, “Please don’t let me dive in it, I can’t swim nor float.” 

It’s a good thing Matthews decided to continue making music. The two years he took after signing with Fat Possum Records truly allowed him to grow and hone down on his skills. His music went from focusing on the past to worrying about the present. In just 10 tracks, he allows listeners into his mind; they feel everything he is and see everything he sees. While it’s scary, 325i is a reminder that people should allow themselves to be open and honest with their feelings and experiences, for they tell people a whole lot about who they truly are inside.