We get into The Unresolvable Disillusionment of Matthew David Bowman with Mangy Mutt
His debut EP, The Unresolvable Disillusionment of Matthew David Bowman, is exactly that: a raw, unfiltered look at a life that’s messy, complicated, and at times brutal.
There’s no sugarcoating here – just jagged melodies, tense atmospheres, and lyrics that feel lived-in, like someone finally decided to put years of chaos into six tracks.
It’s an EP that wrestles with addiction, grief, and mental strain but somehow manages moments of tenderness and clarity in between the cracks.
Mangy Mutt’s sound is rough around the edges, but it’s honest, which is more than enough. It’s the kind of music that sticks in your head – not because it’s catchy, but because it feels real.
By the time it ends, you’ve been on a journey you didn’t know you signed up for, but one you’re glad you took.
Old Familiar Game
Old Familiar Game is about a man in psychosis caught in his own self imposed prison cell. His delusion reaps in fantasy where all the characters like the enemy are actually in his head while he barricades himself in his house as he fears everyone is after him. It culminates in him being picked up by his brothers who know how to deal with him as they have been doing it their whole lives.
Not Even Love Stayed
Is the event in the cycle of addiction where you suddenly realise that there is nothing left. A rock bottom so to speak.
The disease is depicted by the lady in the song. The betrayal calculated, measured as to give no warning leaving a devastating hole in your soul that cannot be hidden. A realisation that comes way too late.
Leave The Light On
Story about the night I found out my cousin had passed.
I was at a red hot chili peppers concert with my daughters and then wife. It was their first ever concert.
The RHCP had just taken the stage. My child had such a joyous look on her face I went to capture it but I opened a message by my mother telling me quite descriptively how he took his own life.
It was a surreal moment. I’d spent years on the phone trying to get him to find help.
An impossible task for someone who doesn’t want it.
Years of jail and rehabs could curve his unwillingness to change his way.
I’m in long term sobriety achieved through a community of like minded people. It helps.
Land Of Make Believe
A story about someone caught in the endless loop of addiction. Life centered around drugs.
Waking in the morning in a void that can only be filled by a substance that takes effort to receive.
The land of make believe is the ultimate goal. The next fix to attempt to fill the void left when not high.
It takes a journey of a day in the life of someone who lives to use and uses to live.
Someone running on autopilot. The darkness forces him to drive.
The police are just an obstacle to his ultimate goal which is the same as he did the day before.
Escaping to the land of make believe.
Count Your Blessings
A song about the value of connection and having someone in your corner. The need to always be grateful for the things you have in life no matter how big or small.
Also, no matter what it is you’re going through it’ll pass. All you need is a bit of faith.
Cast A Shadow On The Sun
I was in a songwriter group, where we were tasked with writing a song a week. We were given an hour to come up with a song. That week’s task was hygiene.
I told the story of a man committed to a mental institution. In psychosis with the alien depicted as his psychosis. The hygiene part of the song I used as the chorus.
I had a breakdown in 2018 in which I was hospitalized for quite a long period, plus I’ve had the privilege of working with and looking after those who have been in those predicaments.
The EP is drawn from my own lived experience. A life I’ve at times had to endure to get to where I am today. An unresolvable Disillusionment.
Where I end up. I don’t want to know but I can tell you a few places I won’t end up. The past is the past. It is what it is.
The past is nothing but a teacher. The future is not written yet. The moment is the only place we need to be.
