Québec country star Matt Lang is ready to take listeners on a wild ride with his highly anticipated new album, Ain’t That Bad, arriving today. Spanning 10 tracks, the album unfolds like one unforgettable night where questionable decisions, unexpected romances, stolen trucks and broken Broncos lead to a series of unpredictable adventures. Blending his Québec roots with the unmistakable influence of Nashville, Lang has built an impressive career with more than 75 million streams, 160,000 tickets sold, multiple award wins and performances on stages across North America and Europe. With a sold-out album-release show scheduled at Montréal’s MTELUS, Lang is entering an exciting new chapter in his career. We caught up with Matt to discuss the inspiration behind Ain’t That Bad, the storytelling that drives the record, his musical evolution and what lies ahead.
Your new album, Ain’t That Bad, follows one increasingly chaotic night filled with questionable decisions, unexpected romances and plenty of trouble. Where did the idea for telling a story across an entire album originate, and what inspired you to build the record around one unpredictable night?
I’ve always loved the vintage feel of a concept album, where the songs all connect and take you somewhere. With Ain’t That Bad, we wanted to build the record around one crazy night and have each song feel like the next part of the story. It starts off pretty innocent, but things get a little out of hand as the night goes on. There’s romance, bad decisions, and a few moments you might not remember the next morning! I liked the idea of making the album feel like a movie, where you can follow the whole night from beginning to end. It made the project more fun to put together, and I think it gives people a different way to experience the songs.
The album’s title, Ain’t That Bad, suggests that even when everything goes wrong, things might not be as disastrous as they seem. What does that phrase mean to you personally, and how does it capture the overall spirit of the record?
To me, Ain’t That Bad is about not taking life too seriously. Sometimes things don’t go as planned, you make a few questionable decisions, and maybe you wake up the next morning wondering what the hell happened. But at the end of the day, those are often the nights that make the best stories. I think the title captures the whole vibe of the album. It’s a little wild, a little reckless, but there’s a lot of fun in it too. Things might get messy, but hey, it ain’t that bad!
With 10 tracks connected by a common storyline, creating a sense of continuity must have been an interesting songwriting challenge. How did you approach sequencing the songs and making sure each track contributed to the bigger picture?
The whole thing started with two songs that were sent my way: Ain’t That Bad and She Stole My Truck. I loved both of them, and they ended up becoming the first and last tracks on the album. That’s what got us thinking about building a concept around them. We had the beginning and the end, so we started filling in the blanks and figuring out what could happen in between. Once we got into the writing rooms, we brought the concept in and tried to make each song fit into the bigger picture. Some songs were written specifically for the storyline. For example, I wrote Break the Bronco with Brittany Kennell, and we knew we wanted a party song that would take the night to the next level. We had this idea of a bull-riding competition, and we even found a way to bring in the bag of cash from the previous song. It was a fun challenge to connect all those little details. I’d never approached an album this way before, and it was cool to build the story as we went.
The stories on this album include everything from a stolen truck and a questionable poker game to broken Broncos and unexpected romances. How much of the storytelling comes from real-life experiences, and how much comes from letting your imagination run wild?
Trust me, I know how to party, haha, but all these stories are made up! That’s what made this project so fun. We could let our imaginations run wild, and nothing felt too crazy or impossible. The only thing that really held us back was what we could pull off in the music videos with the time and resources we had. I would’ve loved to have a real tiger in one of them! And that’s a true story: when a zoo heard we were making an album inspired by The Hangover, they actually reached out to us. But then reality kicked in, haha, and we had to keep things a little simpler!
Your music brings together your Québec roots and Nashville’s country influences. How has that combination shaped your sound over the years, and did you explore anything new musically while making Ain’t That Bad?
Both are really important to me. I’m super inspired by the Nashville sound, and I’ve recorded most of my four albums down there. The musicians are next level, and my producer, Danick Dupelle, is based in Nashville, so that influence is a big part of my sound. But having a piece of home in everything I do is just as important. That’s why we really wanted to shoot the Ain’t That Bad videos in Québec, even though the weather would’ve made it easier to film in the States, haha. I wanted my friends and my team to be part of it. Every member of my band had a role in one of the videos, and we brought in Québec personalities for the clips too. I’m proud of where I come from and the people I get to work with.
Musically, this album also gave me a chance to explore a little more and not feel like I had to fit into one box. Since the whole concept follows one crazy night, that night could take us anywhere! There’s even a surf-rock song on the record, and we got to play around with different sounds and textures that I might not have explored the same way on another album. I think that freedom made the project really fun, and I’m lucky I get to bring all those influences together while still making it feel like me.
You’ve built an impressive career with more than 75 million streams, 160,000 tickets sold, Gold-certified singles and multiple Top 10 radio hits. Looking back, was there a particular moment when you realized your music was connecting with audiences on a much larger scale?
I’m not really a guy who spends too much time looking at the numbers. For me, it really hits when I’m out there playing live and I see the crowds getting bigger, people singing along to every word and just having a great time. That’s when you realize the music is reaching people in a way that goes beyond the numbers. I had a moment like that in Germany earlier this year. Seeing people so far from home who knew my songs and were singing along was pretty crazy. It’s an amazing feeling, and honestly, those are the moments that make all the hard work worth it.
You’ve performed at major Canadian festivals such as Boots & Hearts, LASSO Montréal and Festival d’été de Québec, including opening for Luke Combs. What have those experiences taught you about performing for large audiences, and is there a festival or performance that stands out as especially memorable?
I love playing for big crowds just as much as I love the more intimate shows. You connect with people differently, but both have something special. Honestly, I find it more nerve-wracking to play for a small crowd than for 80,000 people, haha! There’s something about a big crowd singing along that gives you so much energy. But at the end of the day, performing is what I love to do. I feel right at home on a stage, no matter how big or small it is.
You’ve also taken your music overseas, performing in the UK and Germany at events such as C2C and the Boots & Buckle Festival in Berlin. What has it been like introducing your music to international audiences, and have you noticed differences in how fans respond to country music in different countries?
It’s been amazing so far! I’ve noticed that people in Germany and the UK really love to party, and every show we’ve played over there has been a great time. It’s always cool to bring my music somewhere new and see people getting into it. I can’t wait to go back in November and play some cities I’ve never been to before, like Glasgow and Belfast. Getting to explore new places and meet new fans is one of the best parts of doing this, and I’m excited to see what those crowds are like!
You’re celebrating the release of Ain’t That Bad with a sold-out show at Montréal’s MTELUS on October 23. What can fans expect from that special night, and how are you planning to bring the album’s characters, stories and unpredictable energy to the live stage?
It’s going to be the biggest show we’ve ever done, and I’m really excited for people to see it! We’ve got the videos, the screens, pyro and a lot of things happening on stage to bring that energy to life. We couldn’t recreate the exact storyline from the album or play the record from beginning to end because of some technical limitations, and we also wanted to include songs from my previous albums. But we integrated the concept as much as we could into the show, and we’re really proud of how it all came together. We wanted to make it feel like more than just a concert, with that same unpredictable energy and a few surprises along the way. I can’t wait to finally share it with everyone!
With an extensive touring schedule running into May 2027 and a new album ready to reach the world, what are you most excited about in this next chapter of your career? Is there a particular direction, collaboration or musical goal you’d still love to explore?
Honestly, touring is my favourite part of the job, so seeing all those dates on the calendar doesn’t scare me, haha! I love being on the road and playing live, so I’m excited to keep doing that and bring this new album to as many people as possible. We’re really looking at exploring new markets with this project. We’re heading to Ireland, Scotland, London and Germany in November, and I’m excited to see where that takes us. I’d also love to bring my music to Australia, so that’s definitely something we’re starting to explore. There are still so many places I want to play and people I want to reach. I feel like there’s a lot of room to grow, and I’m excited to see what comes next!
