Matt Maeson Gets Experimental in New 'Hallucinogenics' Video: Exclusive

Virginia Beach singer-songwriter Matt Maeson is facing his demons in a metaphysical space in his video for “Hallucinogenics,” available today (March 30) via Neon Gold and Atlantic Records.

The song recounts a particularly down moment for Maeson last year after completing his tour supporting the Who Killed Matt Maeson EP.

“I’d worked very hard to get my life back on track after years of bad decisions at that point...I was so drained and after everyone went home I stayed in Seattle to unwind,” Maeson tells Billboard. “One of the nights I just kind of broke and made a lot of decisions that I regret.”

Maeson’s raw voice captures the inner anguish he feels upon facing those decisions, washing away the thin veneer of the lightly strummed verse as the song pushes forward to a poignant chorus. The intense and honest confessional is tinged with a sense of optimism that could only exist with Maeson’s lucid reflection on the experience.

He says, “I came to the conclusion that failure like that doesn’t define my life...it’s how I handle that failure and turn it into wisdom for how I navigate the future.”

On “Hallucinogenics,” it appears Maeson’s vision has never been clearer.

Maeson is preparing the release of his latest EP The Hearse on April 27 and will be joining Bishop Briggs on tour this spring, along with festival debuts at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Forecastle. Tour dates are listed below the jump.

Check out the video for “Hallucinogenics” exclusively on Billboard below.

Matt Maeson Tour Dates:
April 27 -- Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
April 28 -- Seattle, WA @ The Showbox *
April 29 -- Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *
May 1 -- Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades *
May 3 -- Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory *
May 4 -- Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda *
May 5 -- San Diego, CA @ The Observatory *
May 8 -- Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre 8
May 10 -- Kansas City, MO @ The Truman *
May 11 -- Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
May 12 -- Chicago, IL @ Virgin Hotel
May 15 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
May 26 -- Napa, CA @ Bottlerock Festival
June 6 -- Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
June 9 -- Murfreesboro, TN @ Bonnaroo
July 14 -- Little Rock, AK @ Sloss Festival
July 15 -- Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival
Aug. 3 -- Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza

* - opening for Bishop Briggs