Butchie explores presence and identity on Everpresence
Matthew Waldman, the mind behind the evocative work known as BUTCHIE, is a multidisciplinary force who navigates the worlds of art, poetry, design, and education. His creative journey has been a vibrant collision between New York and Tokyo, with each city infusing his artistic perspective with unique global influences.
The artistic moniker itself stems from a childhood nickname, tracing back to a time when Waldman, a short boy with long, wavy hair and freckles, sought alternate identities to navigate an unstable and often challenging world. This experience shaped his approach to creation, transforming personal vulnerability into profound artistic exploration.
Since relocating to Tokyo in 2018, Waldman has continued to channel these experiences into his music. His latest project, EVERPRESENCE, is far more than an album—it functions as a postmodern cosmology, framing personal memories alongside sweeping cultural and environmental concerns.
EVERPRESENCE explores deep themes: emotional manipulation, the quest for selfhood, unrequited desire, and the delicate balance between nightlife and ecological decline. It positions reflections on political narratives, environmental change, and social technology within a framework of personal experience.
The soundscape of the record is equally layered. The project opens with Gaslight, an unapologetic blend of electronica and pop, reflecting personal experiences of emotional manipulation while touching on broader cultural nostalgia.
Other tracks delve into the history of experience. Alabaster pulls inspiration from iconic acts like Depeche Mode and Daft Punk, invoking the 80s synths and memories of club days in New York. Icarus captures the energy of youth, reflecting on shifting ideas about the queer body and physical limits, while Urban Icon delivers the raw, chaotic energy of 80s nightclub experiences, illuminating resilience and trauma.
Waldman uses liminal spaces to explore complex ideas. Drums of Disco reimagines historical reflections on time loops and aging within the club scene, while Architecture of the Mind uses a car crash as a device to question scientific skepticism. Even environmental concerns are addressed in Insect Apocalypse, contrasting the vibrancy of nightlife with the quieter disappearance of smaller creatures.
The album also captures intimate emotional landscapes, with All In Your Head diving into the subterranean grit of the subway system, capturing the ache of unrequited love. This collective journey shows how a single mind can absorb the passing of history while insisting on finding connection.
EVERPRESENCE ultimately offers an experience where identity feels fluid yet deeply felt. It is a powerful meditation on being fully aware and somehow everywhere at once, rooted firmly in the current moment.
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