Let Matt Maltese whisk you away into his world of sardonic, timeless love songs

Listening to Matt Maltese's music is like looking through an eclectic wardrobe, where vintage accessories sit happily next to brand new pink suits. You can hear the Leonard Cohen running through it, but you can also hear the more contemporary influences of the current booming South London scene at play.

The strength in his latest track "Greatest Comedian" is the striking and exceptionally clever songwriting, where Maltese is both a storyteller, narrating from the sidelines with sardonic aptitude, but also something of a hopeless romantic that sits at the heart of it all. Sweeping strings, lush production and lyrical certainty make it an entirely classic piece of work.

After working with the likes of Alex Burey and Foxygen's Jonathan Rado, Maltese has evidently taken huge strides forward, growing into his craft and seemingly becoming more confident as a wholly unique artist. We caught up to find out more about his growth as a songwriter and what this year has in store for him.

BEST FIT: "Greatest Comedian" feels like a huge stride forward for you - what do you think has really spurred this change on?
Matt Maltese: I couldn’t say with certainty, I haven’t really thought about it that way – I'm glad it feels like that though. I guess it’s been a matter of confidence. It doesn’t come often but I felt good about what I was feeling and doing when I wrote that song.

You've described "Greatest Comedian" as being the record you always wanted to make. Was it kind of like a eureka moment when you wrote it? And what is it about this song that felt special to you?
It was a eureka moment in the way that it was one of those ten minute songs. It felt like it captured an energy I hadn’t really captured in a song before – melancholy but to the beat of a LinnDrum.

What was it like working with Jonathan Rado and in what ways did he influence the direction of the song? How did he challenge or move you out of your comfort zone?
Working with Rado was very freeing. Its easy to be conscious all the time of the kinds of people and music around you and what kind of a musician you yourself are in relation to them. But working outside of London with someone like Rado, who’s in a band I adore and who in turn liked my music, allowed me to go with a feeling when making the song - and not think about that feeling over and over till it becomes a different feeling.

Who do you most look up to?
In general, probably John Grant and the openness with which he speaks about his life and his mind. Also, at the moment, a band called Sorry from London – they’re incredible.

What are you most looking forward to this year and how do you feel about the release of your debut album?
Most looking forward to releasing the album for sure. It feels like the only kind of tangible bookend to the last five years of my life. I’m looking forward to Scala and playing the album in full. Beyond that, we’ll see - just taking it month by month, mint by mint.

The video for "Greatest Comedian" is visually stunning and features some very interesting characters - did you have a big say in the characters in the video and, if so, why did you choose to present their stories in particular?
Yeah Jak (the director) and I chose all the characters. I met the older couple in a pub nearby and just thought they had this classic beauty in them and, of course because of their age, felt like symbols of the past. And the other couples equally all had something beautiful in them. It was a way overall of trying to reflect a distance in relationships of different ages and times.

There seems to be an almost Wes Anderson style colour pallet to the video - was this a conscious thing?
It wasn't specifically a Wes Anderson reference, but it was very consciously aiming for a warm, semi-surreal colour palette - in the aim that it would feel like it exists in its own little world. A world where every room is painted in warm colours, and Brexit and heartbreak are but a distant dream!