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Matt Scottoline—singer, songwriter, and leader of Philadelphia’s finest indie rock band, Hurry—is a worrier. It’s understandable; we’re living in anxious times, with the world changing so quickly it’s hard to keep up.
For Matt, though, those anxieties hit closer to home this time: impending fatherhood and lingering questions about his place in the musical landscape. Does the world really need a new Hurry album?
Judging by the ten songs that make up Zoned Out - Hurry’s sixth full-length and fourth for Lame-O Records—the answer is a resounding yes. One less thing to worry about, right?
After a prolonged period of writer’s block, the songs slowly began to take shape in late 2024 and Scottoline soon realized he had the makings of a new album.
Recorded at The Metal Shop by Ian Farmer and co-produced by Farmer and Scottoline, Zoned Out finds Hurry operating at full strength. Backed once again by Rob DeCarolis on drums, Joe DeCarolis on bass, and Justin Fox on guitar, the band sounds tighter than ever—so in sync it all feels effortless.
From the opening track, “All Sunk In”, with its chugging electric guitars and earworm melody, the tone is set immediately. The amps are louder, the groove carries a confident swagger, and Scottoline’s voice sounds better than ever. “I’m feeling so small, I can’t see over the wall”—a line that lands like a gut punch within the first fifteen seconds, capturing his gift for turning small, personal moments into something universal and deeply relatable.
“Waiting for serendipity can lead to dry spells where I’ve got nothing,” Scottoline explains. “That can be extraordinarily frustrating when you’re trying to finish a record. ‘All Sunk In’ was one of those moments—my mind was blank, I was frustrated, and I decided to try something outside my wheelhouse. I started strumming power chords, something I never do, and eventually found the song. I’d also been listening to The Return of the Rentals a lot, so I grabbed my Moog MG-1 and added a synth lead over the chorus. Man, that’s a good album.”
The title track and first single expands on these themes, driven by a riff that feels lifted straight out of Glasgow circa 1994, and a chorus so bittersweet and romantic it could bring a tear to a glass eye, with Scottoline wrestling against his instinct to avoid the big questions and simply zone out.
“Moving After You,” the album’s standout, sounds like the best song Teenage Fanclub never recorded—which makes the guest vocal from Gerard Love all the more perfect. Scottoline and Love’s voices blend effortlessly, a match made in power-pop heaven and a genuine pinch-me moment.
After a memorable Hurry show in Scotland in 2024 with Love on the bill, the two stayed in touch, sharing songs back and forth.
As Scottoline puts it: “My last album was called Don’t Look Back, a title I borrowed from a Teenage Fanclub song written by Gerard Love. He’s my favorite songwriter from my favorite band. When I was writing ‘Moving After You,’ I added a layered vocal in the bridge that felt like it needed a second singer. I knew almost immediately I wanted Gerry to do it. So here I am, elated to say Gerard Love sings on a song on my record. I’m not sure what more I can say—it’s really cool.”
Side One closes with the one-two pop punch of “The Dumbest Person You’ve Ever Seen” and “Just Fine,” which feel like companion pieces—two sides of the same coin—circling self-doubt and quiet resilience with sharp melodic clarity.
Side Two opens with “Complications”, which dispite the title, is one of the most optimistic moments on the record, Scottoline singing: “I’m ready to be frustrated, I’m ready to build a home, I’m ready for complications, baby, I don’t want to be alone.” It’s a love song of sorts—about starting a family and realizing that the good things in life don’t just happen; you have to put in the work. Complemented by Fox’s signature melodic guitar lines and a middle-eight most bands could spend a lifetime chasing, it’s a clear statement of intent and the sound of Hurry 2.0.
“For so much of my life, I was kind of locked into who I’d been since I was 19,” Scottoline says. “I’d wonder when the adult stuff would happen—will I ever get married? Will I have a kid? Am I going to live in the same place forever? Clearly—obviously, embarrassingly—it doesn’t work that way. This song is about that realization, and a declaration to finally move forward.”
“Oh Yeah,” Scottoline’s ode to his first forays into online dating—and the first Hurry song to feature a key change—captures that awkward moment when you don’t quite know what to say to your new match, yet lands somewhere more universal.
“‘Oh yeah—I know the perfect thing to say,’” he explains. “It feels a little on the nose, I guess. But it’s something a lot of people can relate to, whether it’s chatting on an app or just trying to communicate with your partner.”
“Laughing in Reverse” marks the first Hurry song not written by Scottoline, arranged from a home demo by label-mate and touring partner James Hindle—former leader of The Pooches, and current member of U.S. Highball with Calvin Halliday. In Hurry’s hands, it becomes a fuzz-drenched, full-band singalong.
The album closes with “Somewhere (Kind Of) Old,” one final anxiety spiral. A song about the frustrations of being home alone with nothing to do, its gentle, scuzzy thrum is bolstered by Sgt. Pepper-esque Mellotron and Ragged Glory-era Neil Young guitars.
“I hate being home alone with nothing going on,” Scottoline admits. “I don’t find it relaxing at all. Open time feels like a burden. If I try to do nothing, I start to spiral—I get anxious, superstitious, I fantasize about what else I could be doing. I lose my cool. I’m pretty sure I wrote this during one of those episodes, trying to let creativity act as a balm on my brain.”
So here it is : Zoned Out. It’s timeless pop music made for these times. And if worrying is what it takes to make records this good, here’s hoping Matt never quite learns how to stop.