Matt Johnson

Matt Johnson is the English songwriter and musician behind The The, a project that has moved between post-punk, synth-pop, rock, and politically charged experimental music. He has remained its central figure even as its collaborators and sound have changed. His first album, *Burning Blue Soul*, appeared in 1981 under his own name; later editions credited it to The The.

The The’s 1983 album *Soul Mining* gave Johnson one of his best-known songs, “This Is the Day.” Another track, “Uncertain Smile,” features an extended piano performance by Jools Holland. Rather than settle into the sound of that record, Johnson made *Infected* in 1986: a more confrontational album whose songs address subjects including war, money, and social decay. He also commissioned a film-length collection of videos for the album, extending its ideas beyond the recordings.

On *Mind Bomb* in 1989, Johnson worked with guitarist Johnny Marr, formerly of the Smiths. Sinéad O’Connor joined him for the duet “Kingdom of Rain.” Marr continued with The The for *Dusk* in 1993, an album that includes “Dogs of Lust” and “Love Is Stronger Than Death.” Those records show how readily Johnson could change the scale of his music: intimate accounts of desire and grief sit alongside songs concerned with religion, violence, and power.

Johnson took another turn with 1995’s *Hanky Panky*, an album of Hank Williams songs. Instead of writing new material in his established voice, he reinterpreted a country songwriter from an earlier generation. *NakedSelf*, released in 2000, returned to original songs and a forceful guitar-driven sound. A long gap followed before another The The studio album of new songs.

During that gap, Johnson did not abandon music. His work included soundtracks, and he eventually brought The The back to the stage. A 2018 concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall became part of *The Comeback Special*, a live release documenting the group’s return. In 2024, The The released *Ensoulment*, its first studio album of original songs since *NakedSelf*. Its arrival made that extended recording absence part of the group’s history rather than its ending.

Johnson’s career is distinctive not simply for its length, but for the sharp turns within it: a debut issued under his own name, a defining early single, elaborate visual work for *Infected*, collaborations with Marr and O’Connor, a Hank Williams tribute, and a return to new material after more than two decades.