ON THE RISE
Charleston, S. — In the modern sea of Christian music, few voices cut through with both conviction and vulnerability like Matthew Hartley’s. The Charleston-based Christian rock artist channels his life’s trials and transformations into music that isn’t just heard—it confronts, convicts, and ultimately calls. His latest track, “Heaven’s Calling,” is not only a standout in sound but in spiritual urgency, a thunderous reminder to believers: it’s time to get right with God.
When asked what place he was in when writing “Heaven’s Calling,” Hartley doesn’t hold back. “There’s a pretty strong message to it,” he admits, referencing a long and sometimes painful journey of personal growth and spiritual awakening. “I went through some difficult times,” he shares, “but through all of that, I realized heaven was calling out—loudly—and had been for some time.” The track, layered in guitar riffs and raw emotion, was born from that revelation, fusing his rock roots with the undeniable pull of divine grace.
Hartley’s creative process is both organic and spiritual. He describes it as “free association,” picking up a guitar, playing for days, and allowing the music and lyrics to flow—first as abstract melodies, then slowly forming into structured truth. In this case, it started with a moment: him watching news coverage of wildfires and hurricanes while grappling with inner turmoil. “I hit this lick, and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is cool,’ and then the words, times are calling, just kinda came out,” he recalls. “Between the disasters and my own life, I thought—man, heaven’s calling. We gotta get it right.”
The song’s message is twofold: personal repentance and collective awareness. Hartley ties natural disasters to a broader spiritual metaphor, not claiming they’re divine punishment, but a vivid reminder of life’s fragility. “You don’t know when something’s gonna come down,” he says. “And that’s not God—that’s just life. But it should make us think.”
For Hartley, music is not a product of perfection, but of honesty. “I'm not perfect,” he says. “I still think about the things I shouldn’t do… but somehow, God’s given me grace through some of those decisions.” It’s that grace—and the awe of it—that fuels “Heaven’s Calling.” Not content with a sanitized version of faith, Hartley leans into the uncomfortable truths of spiritual growth: poor decisions, second chances, and the ongoing struggle to live a life aligned with God's call.
Producing the track alongside industry veteran David Kershenbaum (known for work with Tracy Chapman), Hartley found not just a musical partner, but a vehicle for bringing this deeply personal anthem to life. “That was the fun part,” he says. “To see something that started on my iPhone turn into this powerful track—it’s amazing.”
But “Heaven’s Calling” is more than just a song; it's a marker in Hartley’s spiritual walk. When asked if the song reflects the artist he’s becoming, he reflects, “I think I’ve always written like this. Even one of my earliest songs, Rise Above, started with the lyric, ‘Forgive me, Jesus, for I have sinned.’ It’s the same heart.”
In a world saturated with surface-level spirituality, Matthew Hartley is carving out space for unfiltered faith. His vulnerability isn’t a brand—it’s a witness. And “Heaven’s Calling” is a plea not from a preacher’s pulpit, but from a fellow wanderer on the narrow path, urging others to listen.
“I hope people find truth,” he says simply. “Not in me—in what they hear. If it helps even a few people turn their hearts, then I’ve done what I’m supposed to do.”
And maybe, just maybe, that’s the sound of heaven calling.
Check out “Heaven’s Calling” and follow Matthew on his socials.
ON THE RISE
Blossoms caught up with NME to discuss competing with The Beatles and Johnny Marr for this week’s Number One album. With ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ in the running, the band also explained why making things themselves remains such an important part of their work as AI becomes more common.
The Stockport group put out their sixth album last Friday, October 2. By the midweek update, it was sitting at Number Two, between The Beatles’ expanded edition of ‘Rubber Soul’ and Johnny Marr’s latest solo album, ‘The Age Of Everything’.
“It’s mad, to be honest,” singer Tom Ogden said to NME about the chart race. “Liverpool on one side, Manchester on the other and Stockport in the middle. If you’d told us this 10 years ago, when we were releasing our debut, I wouldn’t have believed you. But I mean, we’re in good company aren’t we?”
Discussing the stories behind the album, Ogden described ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ as “about being married and all the everyday stuff that comes with it”. He married Katie Donovan, the sister of Blossoms drummer Joe, in 2021. Married life has since given him a new appreciation for what he describes as “the extraordinary ordinary”.
“Saying the wrong thing in an argument, losing your wife’s no claims bonus, crying at the Kardashians, it’s all in there,” he explained. “The album is named after Stockport Town Hall, which everyone round where we live calls the Wedding Cake, and it’s where I got married, so it couldn’t be much closer to home.
“The last album [‘Gary’, 2024] had a song about a stolen fibreglass gorilla, which everyone loved, and that gave us the confidence to bring the same playfulness to this one, just with more personal subject matter this time.”
Alongside tracks that came out of writing sessions with Declan McKenna in a hot tub, the album reflects the band’s desire to stay involved in every part of the creative process.
“It started with the recording,” Ogden explained. “We made the album with Shawn Lee, playing live straight to tape, and once you’ve done it that way you can’t really go and fake everything else. We sat down as a band and picked the colour palette, and everything visual followed from that. We had body scans taken of ourselves and cake toppers of the five of us 3D printed, put them on a real cake and photographed it. I’ve directed and edited the videos, and the sets are all built by hand, no green screen. For the pop-up shop on launch weekend, a local artist hand-painted the album cover for the sign outside.
“It’s more work, but you end up with a world that’s yours, and I think people can tell when a band’s had its hands on everything.”
With AI tools and digital effects becoming increasingly widespread, that approach feels particularly relevant. For Blossoms, though, the motivation is simple: “the fun is in the making”.
“Tape doesn’t let you cheat and neither does a real cake,” Ogden said. “If a set’s a bit wonky, it’s because one of us or our mates built it. I think the more stuff gets generated, the more people want to know a human being actually did it. We’ve been in this band together for over 10 years, five lads from Stockport, and that isn’t something you can ‘prompt’.”
Maya Jama also appeared in the video for the album’s first single, ‘Meet Me In Love’. Her appearance came shortly before the UK launch of Celebrity Traitors, where she took on the role of a traitor alongside a cast that included Richard E Grant and James Acaster.
“She was brilliant,” Ogden recalled of working with Jama. “We’d met her at the MTV EMAs in Manchester a couple of years ago, so we took a chance and sent her a DM …and she said yes. Next thing she’s in a theatre in Cheadle miming my vocals while a load of people dressed as me serenade her. She got the idea straight away and was a proper laugh about it.”
The conversation then turned to whether he thought Jama could take home the win on Celebrity Traitors.
Ogden joked: “As for Traitors, she spent a whole day pretending to sing my song and I almost believed her, so I’d say she’s got every chance.”
Fans can listen to ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ now. In November, Blossoms head out on a UK arena tour with The Royston Club. Tickets and further details are available here.
Before the tour begins, the group is also scheduled to appear on SNL UK on Saturday, October 24.
