Following the release of the excellent new single ‘Like a Ghost’, we had a chat with Dorset producer and songwriter Bite The Boxer
From its beginnings as an anonymous synthwave project in 2020, Matt Park’s Bite The Boxer has expanded his sound into something altogether more all-encompassing and creative. The artist’s sound spans alt-pop, synthwave, cyberpunk, ambient, chillwave and lo-fi, and has a unique, sonic charm that feels distinctive and intrinsically tied to the artist.
Like his last single ‘Forgotten’, the artist’s new release ‘Like a Ghost’ continues to showcase the strides forward that the artist is taking with his sound and artistry. Honing in on this engaging alt-pop sound to create something that feels effortlessly captivating and intoxicating, Matt’s slick production melds with the vocals in a rousing way, making for a sound that feels both cutting edge and fiercely modern but with a cool, accessible sheen. We had a chat with Matt following this new release, and found out some more about the project and the man behind it.
Who TF is Bite The Boxer?
I am a music producer in Dorset (UK), started making music as Bite The Boxer in the early stages of lockdown as an anonymous synthwave project and since then have developed through cinematic ambient, lofi glitch to alt-pop. Picking up tonal colours of each genre along the way.
How long have you been making music?
I was in my first band (a short-lived nu-metal outfit called Platen) when I was about 14 or 15, that was 20 years ago and have been playing guitar or bass in various bands, or various genres, ever since.
Why do you make music?
To push myself to learn new skills; and Bite The Boxer has certainly helped me to do that. Going from playing guitar in an indie-pop band to producing electronic music by myself was a big leap out of my comfort zone and had a huge learning curve.
What are your biggest influences?
At the moment, I’m going through a big Bristol sound phase, loving the classic works of Massive Attack and Portishead etc. Although my process is more influenced by Bob Ross, he created art by “feel”, trusted his instincts and embraced happy accidents, I try not to over-think things. I can fall down a slippery, dark slope if I start chasing perfection too heavily.
What would you say has been your best moment so far?
Getting national and international airplay for songs like ‘Summer of Everything’ and ‘Underwater’. Bands I have been in previously worked hard and gigged every weekend possible for years to get that kinda coverage and I managed it as Bite The Boxer within one year.
How would you describe your sound to somebody unfamiliar with it?
At the moment, I’d say that it’s pop (or alt-pop) that you don’t feel embarrassed to like.
What’s your dream “I’ve made it” moment?
I have no idea how or if I will ever perform these songs live, but playing at Camden Koko will be a huge dream come true, I’ve seen some amazing gigs there. I also love making songs that sound like they could be in a film, so a movie placement would be incredible.
We love your new release ‘Like A Ghost’, what more can you tell us about it?
Many of my songs are 90% produced live on Twitch streams with people watching me make the songs live in real-time. Like A Ghost started off as a song made on a live stream but I did a lot of work on it behind the scenes as well because I wanted to learn more about vocal effects and chopping and sampling. I really pushed myself on this song and I am super pleased with how it came out.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
I have a handful of songs that are pretty much ready to go, just need final tweaks. So, I will be releasing more singles through the year. These songs sound like they belong together and work nicely together but I’ll also be figuring out what to do with my sound next and work on the next batch of songs.
And finally, who is your biggest fan right now?
My wife and daughter are amazingly supportive. I should also say thanks to Khonteeneung, who I know from Twitch streams, she is based in Thailand. Knowing that my music is being listened to in other countries is mind-blowing.
