Since The Breakfast Club, there has been a song in most people’s minds when they think of the 80s, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds. It is a song that has been incredibly influential and a staple of its era.
It has been used in a multitude of films, and referenced and covered plenty of times. Musician and composer Matt Lande, who has an inordinate affinity for alternative and pop-rock, saw an opportunity to take a shot at the song and challenge himself to do something outside of his comfort zone. Lande’s effort to channel a modern take on a classic song exemplifies his willingness to branch off from his usual releases.
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Hailing from central Florida, Lande knew that music was his creative outlet when he took guitar lessons in high school. It was then that he joined a band and began to tour following the release of their first album.
After a handful of years touring with the band, Lande went solo moving to Los Angeles. Finding major success on his own, he has not looked back and has had an extensive career involving music and acting. He then moved to Portland in 2013, where he is currently working on music for his upcoming EP.
Now, with his latest single, he proves just how adamant he is about honoring the genius of the past. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” is well-produced and does not stray too far off the original — which proves to be a fundamental aspect that captures the listener’s ears.
As it is produced, mixed, and performed by Matt Lande, the project seems personal and a complete homage to the era in which it was made. The only additional members on the track are Joey McAllister, who performs the drums, and Andy Walter, who mastered the song, but Lande was the essential orchestrator behind all the other instruments.
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Resulting, is a multi-layered, ultra-fine song that intentionally aims listeners into a nostalgic wonderland. The vocal performance in this cover is just as enjoyably euphonious as the original by Simple Minds. One distinction of the vocal track is that Lande’s delivering is slightly more mellowing than Jim Kerr’s original single. Lande’s cover single-handedly permits listeners to explore a new avenue of this song.
While Lande’s cover “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” reemerges a parallel nostalgia as presented by the original, the music artist’s main undertaking was to recreate the magic of what was established in the 1980s — a revival that strays from the opportunity to innovate. However, if a song’s not broken, there might not be a necessity or desire to fix it.
In this case, similar to Whitney Houston’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” it’s not distracting or a dealbreaker as Lande brings exposure to the original song that makes it a desirable track for listeners of this current generation and influences them to seek music from the past.
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Lande, an artist who is a true savant and student of music, wanted to do this track to pay respect to an era that is highly responsible for setting the foundation of modern music today. It makes clear sense that he would. As evident in most of his music, such as “Glow,” Lande’s work is a product of the ’80s music and culture, as it has informed significant portions of who he is as a songwriter.
Lande’s music can be found on most streaming services, including YouTube, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
