Singer-Songwriter Matías Roden Introduces Himself to the World on Debut The Plea EP feat. Hopeful Focus Track “Glowing”
Matías Roden is a Peruvian-Canadian singer-songwriter living in Vancouver, BC. Signed to Light Organ Records, his first single, “Snow Angel,” was released in November 2023 and followed by two more singles in 2024. Roden has performed at Music Waste and Khastahlano festivals since, as well as the upcoming Summerlight Festival, and his full-length debut album is set for release in early 2025.
Debut EP, The Plea, was recorded at Vancouver’s 604 Studios and serves as Roden’s formal introduction to this world; the official start of his journey as an artist. The Plea symbolizes a mixture of helplessness and resilience – it’s what happens when you’re young and you lose hope in the things that you thought mattered in your life.
“I think the classic ‘quarter life crisis’ for a lot of young people feels like you’re being put on trial by your own hopes and dreams and others’ expectations for your life,” Roden explains. “It can feel overwhelming to realize that maybe your life isn’t going in exactly the direction you wanted it to go. So The Plea is a play on words of a plea deal at a trial where you’re both at the mercy of forces beyond your control but also wanting to defiantly assert yourself. It’s like I’m saying ‘I will get my life back together, I will get over this heartbreak or over this failure to live out my hopes and dreams, I will make them happen.'”
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Matías Roden, an alternative synth-pop singer-songwriter based in Vancouver, BC, the place I’ve called home for a decade, although I grew up between the UK and Peru.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
My latest release is my debut EP titled ‘The Plea’, a five-track collection that deals with themes of depression, heartbreak, and finding yourself in the midst of a quarter-life crisis. It’s (I hope) sophisticated pop music with an alternative edge, inspired by my favourite music from Pet Shop Boys to Annie Lennox to Tame Impala.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
I typically write the entire song in my head, chords, lyrics, melody, even instrumental flourishes that I can hear in my brain, and only then I sit down at the keyboard to try and figure out the chords and start building a track in Logic. I find this way ensures that the melody is strong because you have to remember it.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
Tons of shows, tons of online stuff (I plan to start a newsletter soon for fans that may give people access to certain things like special merch or advance tickets), more music videos, and hopefully, an upcoming tour supporting another Canadian artist would be incredible to do, and lots more music coming very soon as we start the rollout of my first album proper.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
Performing at Khatsahlano was amazing, it’s a festival I’ve attended for many years and getting to see myself on the poster was surreal.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
Sam Tudor for sure, who I think is one of the best artists to come out of BC in a long time, is certainly one of my favourites. His songwriting is very melodic so it’s accessible and catchy, but with a really beautiful, delicate, empathetic sensibility. It’s music you can just immerse yourself in for hours.