As fans, we are all at the mercy of our favorite musicians and bands for new songs and stage shows, which may get frustrating and worrisome from time to time, especially when it comes to reunion or comeback projects. We hope and wait for new materials for long periods, but sometimes, we don’t receive anything new for various reasons.
In the case of Matchbox Twenty fans, the time they had to wait to have a new album from them got stretched, gradually adding to their anticipation; however, the band had unfortunately not released something new for them until this month. They were eventually presented with new material, but what caused their long wait?
Matchbox Twenty, who has not released any full-length projects since 2012, announced that their new single, ‘Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream),’ would be released on March 17 at the beginning of this month. Despite the official announcement that came after a long time, fans were still annoyed because the band has been known for their ambiguous decisions lately.
After a brief breakup due to conflicts in the band, Matchbox Twenty decided to return with a world tour in 2020, and fans were excited to hear the news, but their joy did not last long. The tour dates got postponed to 2021 because of – you guessed it – pandemics. Then, 2021 became 2022, and 2022 became 2023, only prolonging the waiting time.
Meanwhile, everyone wanted to know if Matchbox Twenty would surprise them with a record, such as an album, to which the answers were negative. In a January 2022 interview with Smashing Interviews, the band’s vocalist, Rob Thomas, stated they would not record anything full-length at the studio and keep focusing on live performances.
Thomas indicated that the band members did not have the emotional capacity to produce a whole album at that moment and wanted to work on something on a smaller scale. According to him, a four-song EP to play at the live performances would be the most probable thing they could do regarding a studio record.
The Matchbox Twenty vocalist’s words on the matter were as follows:
“Right before the holidays, the guys were in New York at the studio. None of us really had the time or emotional bandwidth to put together an entire album in the way we’d want to put together [a] whole record.
So we’re just going to put out probably just a four-song EP [to have] some new music for fans and stuff to play live. It’s just not about going out to support a whole record right now…like going out and doing all the TV shows and all that stuff. It seems like a lot more fun to have a song out and let the tour be the promotion for it.”
Contradicting his statement in the interview, the band shared a video clip and hinted at an upcoming sixth album on Twitter five months later. This update confused the fans as the vocalist was sure that there would not be a new album in the near future, but still, it was joyous news that recommended them to ‘stay tuned.’
Thomas’ caption on the Twitter post read:
“Album #6… Stay Tuned!”
So, the wait began again. Another few months passed, during which fans expected any explanation regarding ‘album #6,’ but no new information was shared with the public. As they got impatient with the situation and lack of knowledge, fans demanded answers and playfully teased the band with ghosting accusations. Still, there was no sound until March 1.
The band finally gave insight into their upcoming album by sharing their new single’s cover picture, its release date, and a link that would allow people to pre-save it. While the fans were happy to have a definite date for a concrete musical material, many of them were displeased with having to wait longer for the release as it has already been nine months with constant teasing and postponing.
Matchbox Twenty’s announcement on Twitter was as follows:
“‘Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream)’ New single out March 17! Pre-save now!”
Regardless of the frustration, the release date is close, and Matchbox Twenty fans are overjoyed to receive new material after waiting so long. There is still no date announced for the full release of the upcoming album other than the recent post for the single, ‘Wild Dogs,’ but if it gets presented to the public before May 2023, there will be a US tour accompanying it starting on May 16. Stay tuned, dear Matchbox Twenty fans!
