Matt Tarka has never seemed especially interested in writing around uncomfortable subjects, and ‘Letter to the Editor’ finds the Lancaster singer-songwriter at his most pointed.
Built around his reaction to The Washington Post’s decision not to endorse a presidential candidate in the 2024 election, the track channels political frustration into something far more engaging than a simple protest slogan. The newspaper announced the change 11 days before Election Day, describing it as a return to an earlier tradition of non-endorsement; the decision prompted significant internal criticism and subscriber cancellations, while owner Jeff Bezos later defended it as an attempt to reduce perceptions of media bias.
And the frontman approaches that controversy through sturdy, literate folk-rock rather than sheer volume. His writing is direct, but there’s enough detail underneath the anger to prevent the song becoming one-dimensional. References reaching back to Edward Bulwer-Lytton and Euripides give ‘Letter to the Editor’ a broader sense of historical perspective, while its melodic instincts keep the track grounded firmly in rock songwriting rather than political speechmaking.
The comparison made during recording to R.E.M.’s Life’s Rich Pageant feels understandable. There’s a similar sense of guitars, momentum and civic unease working together, though his own delivery remains distinctly conversational.
Most importantly, the song leaves room for urgency without sacrificing hope. He clearly views the Post’s decision as a failure of institutional nerve; the newspaper itself framed the change very differently, as support for readers making their own electoral judgments.
Sharp, melodic and satisfyingly uncompromising, ‘Letter to the Editor’ shows Matt Tarka turning political frustration into purposeful folk-rock, crafting a song with something to argue, but enough musical life to make the argument worth hearing.