A Song for Fathers Day

Our friend Matthew Joel stops back by to share a song about early first days of fatherhood

Photo credit: Samuel Landry

Good morning!

Today, Matthew Joel stops back by to share his latest and most personal track.

Driving in Portland can be a blood sport. It’s one thing when you’re 19 and fearless. It's another when someone in the back seat is barely 19 years old. The drive from the hospital to our apartment was only a few miles, but it might well have been a cross-country trip. I've driven in some sketchy shit. Part of my job description reads, "moves multi-million dollar planes full of people around."

I've never been more nervous than on I-205 on that sweaty August afternoon.

Those early days of parenting can be a blur—it turns out babies are little nihilists with no regard for things like "the clock" or sleep— but even at your most sleep-deprived, it feels like a profound shift has happened.

The latest track from

Matthew Joel Vanderkwaak

describes his own road through those first days. It's tough to run on 90 minutes of sleep for several days in a row. Some of you are likely nodding your heads right now. \

But! The rapture of that first giggle or smile or having them fall asleep on your chest more than makes up for it.

From the presser:

Matthew Joel’s “It’s So Easy to Love You” explores the tender and trepidatious experiences of early fatherhood—those moments when the weight of a sleeping baby feels like the centre of the universe and the rejection of a toddler feels like your first heartbreak. In this song, Matthew steps away from the heroic father archetypes to explore the more gentle and everyday call to simply be present... It’s a clear-eyed and personal reflection on the light that shines through moments of human intimacy, including both the mundane and the uncomfortable, to show us who we really are.

I’m sure as heck not the guy to ask for advice, but the reality is that most of us are just winging it and hoping for the best. That—and enjoying the ride along the way— are all you can really do.

Happy fathers day to all of you who celebrate in whatever form that might take!

Thanks for being here (and there!),

Kevin—

Listen:

Matthew Joel | It’s So Easy to Love You (single) 2025

Click on the record to listen via Bandcamp

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