Matt Lowen is a Canadian artist from Vancouver. His debut LP marks the death of one life and the beginning of another. In one of these lives, Matt is an award-winning essayist completing an honors degree in English literature and post-modern poetics; in the other, he is a musician and songwriter who has performed in venues across Canada and recorded two modest, yet well-received EPs. Halfway through completion of his major thesis, Matt realized he had reached the breaking point. After a number of ill-fated attempts to begin production on an LP fizzled out, a choice had to be made. Turning his back on a promising academic career, Matt abandoned the manuscript and took 10 songs to Spiderlodge Studios in Chilliwack, BC. After a series of feverish recording sessions over 3 months with co-producer, engineer, and multiinstrumentalist Rick Genge, those 10 songs became “Junkie’s Bank Account,” a lyric exploration of modern life and love in the guise of a folk-rock record that could have sprung from Bob Dylan in the ‘60s or Wilco today. Musically, “Junkie’s Bank Account” walks the tight-rope between the folk, rock, and alternative genres. From the guitar-driven alt-rock angst epic: “The King of Good Intentions,” to the tender piano-infused lullaby, “Big Blue World,” contrast rules the album. Yet, Lowen manages to maintain a sonic and thematic unity, even when the record shifts drastically from the upbeat bluegrass rhythms of “Other People Said” to a sound more akin to Neil Young & Crazy Horse in “Den Of Thieves.” Of the many highlights on the record, “Rust” with its unique combination of poetic spoken-word verses, menacing synths, and sing-along chorus, stands out as the emotional centerpiece of the record.