Originally a quartet out of Sparta, Tennessee, The Features came together in 1994 and grew into a part-Murfreesboro (Middle Tennessee State University) and part-Cookeville (Tennessee Tech) quintet by 1997. Rather than graduating college, though, The Features graduated to playing various Middle Tennessee bars and clubs.

By that time, Murfreesboro had earned a national reputation as “Little Seattle” (Billboard, Aug. 1997), thanks to a thriving indie scene led by Spongebath Records, showcasing acts like Self, Fluid Ounces, The Katies and, of course, The Features, which included MTSU student Matt Pelham.

The Features EP, released in 1997 out of Spongebath Records, spread the band’s Flaming Lips influence mixed with a proto-Kings of Leon production feel throughout Middle Tennessee, exhibiting a “from across the tracks” feel, a bit more indie rock than Southern rock.

Life stuff happens, as it does (babies, sickness, breweries, next steps), but in 2025, Pelham released a modern passion project—no, a wisdom project—under the name of Matt & The Watt Gives, following a slow rollout of Bandcamp singles showing what and how MIDI—digital instructions telling an instrument or device what to play—is supposed to be, filtered through a perspective that feels both nostalgic and newly alive.

A seemingly softer and older Pelham opens the album with “Wilder Days,” beginning with a piano intro section but soon crescendoing into that familiar, well-placed and fried rasp, building up alongside a snare beat and soulful, MIDI-zydeco horn section, soon feeling like a seemingly massive bluesy touring band’s riffs echoing from across the stadium.

“Cutting Ties” hits a rolling blues groove with a punch, then Tokyo drifts into horns and synths weaving around Pelham’s preachin’ about simplifying life and moving forward.

Pelham’s always been a kind of optimistic, nurturing writer, even in the face of prevalent millennial lyricist role models Papa Roach or Limp Bizkit, and he also applies his mature wisdom of relationships, grown-up life, marriage and family in “Half the Fight.”

Hope I make it out alive . . . Pelham sings in “The Chemo Blues,” a slow tempo, Jon Brion-esque darkly tuned brood. My jokes keep working, but it ain’t the same / Sometimes I close my eyes and hope the cancer takes me away / I’ve been laying down. I’ve not been feeling very well / Will you rub my head and tell me everything will be okay? / I appreciate all your thoughts and prayers.

It’s heavy and vulnerable, but cathartic and humorous, closing with an instrumental that bridges darkness and light.

Elsewhere, acoustic strummer “’Til You” turns gentle and animated—literally—featuring an accompanying video following two marbles on a whimsical journey of connection, exploring sunsets, checkerboards and sidewalk chalk together; the blue marble and the orange marble eventually crescendo, intertwine and helix into the sky, on to their next adventure.

Overall, the album is a symphony of wisdom; there’s not a loose nail in this wall of sound. Matt & The Watt Gives rebuilds a sound modernized from a memory of familiar tunes, a sound that has heavily influenced a generation walking around these parts.

A kick in the ol’ Sponge, if you will.

Matt & The Watt Gives feels like 30 years of Murfreesboro creativity and “kicking it into fifth gear” distilled into a modern concept album. Gives me goosebumps, and the feeling of the freedom of youth.

Find Matt & The Watt Gives at mattandthewattgives.com and on Bandcamp.