Matthew the Oxx - First Aid for the Drowning

First Aid For The Drowning is a complex album and if you're looking for a simple explanation you've come to the wrong man. Matthew himself says that a lot of the album is about death, a subject open to many interpretations, but that doesn't make it morose or depressing. You could write a thesis on the first track, 'Beyond The Gates'. On one level it is about stepping out beyond the confines of our own lives, taking a chance on the future, ignoring the fear that holds us back. On another, it's about the gates that lead to death and as Matthew says, "Nobody here really knows what's out beyond the gates".