Mathien is a band blessed with an overabundance of talent in its arsenal: a clever and prolific songwriter whose lyrics are loaded with wit and a sense of tactile immediacy, a graceful and melodic lead guitarist, and a versatile vocalist equally comfortable crooning a soul ballad or shifting to hip hop. The restless diversity of the collective allows Mathien to cross musical boundaries that recall early '70's soul, funk and R&B while remaining rooted in the contemporary and avoiding the derivative.