Song premiere: Matt Hillyer delivers a message of empathy with the title track from his upcoming album “Bright Skyline”

Former Eleven Hundred Springs frontman Matt Hillyer will release his second solo album, Bright horizon on June 21 via State Fair Records. Today, American Songwriter is proud to premiere the album’s title track. Listen to “Bright Skyline” below.

“Bright Skyline” is not a single. Instead, Hillyer chose to share an album cut with American Songwriter readers. Most importantly, he wanted to share his favorite song from the upcoming album. This one is special to him for several reasons. Above all, the message of empathy contained in the lyrics is important. Additionally, it stands out from the rest of the album sonically.

Hillyer sat down with American Songwriter earlier this week to discuss “Bright Skyline” and what makes it so special.

Matt Hillyer on “Bright Skyline”

“The song itself has a dissonant sound that makes it dark,” said Matt Hiller. “But I mean it’s kind of a hopeful idea,” he added. The song is about the lives of unhoused people living in big cities and watching people walk past them on a daily basis. Sung from the perspective of one of these people, Hillyer wants to focus on the humanity of the people who live these difficult lives.

“The chorus basically says you like to watch it sparkle from afar, because Dallas has a pretty skyline. You can see it from a distance, but when you walk in, for these people, it’s a whole different world,” Hillyer said.

The inspirations for “Bright Skyline”

“I got the idea while driving my child to school. At the time, she was attending school in inner-city Dallas. It’s about a 20-minute drive from our house,” he recalls. Hillyer points out that Dallas has a beautiful skyline. However, the closer you get to the city center, the more this beauty fades. The realities of life on the streets become clear. “There are always beggars on street corners hoping you will give them money. The closer you get to the bottom, the more prevalent it becomes,” he explained.

Further inspiration for the song came from his collaboration with a non-profit organization called Cloud Covered Streets. The organization helps Fort Worth’s unhoused population in several ways. Hillyer’s friend and fellow singer-songwriter Courtney Patton is on the board of directors and he has played several of their benefit shows.

Additionally, Hillyer recalls meeting a few unhoused people early in his career while playing weekly gigs in Dallas’ Deep Ellum neighborhood. “You see them pretty regularly and when you drive past you don’t have to think about their experiences as much as you do when you get to know them,” he said. “They are human beings. When you drive by, you try not to think about it because you can’t help everyone all the time,” he added.

Featured image by Brooks Burris