Not Thinking Straight (album)

Formats

Not Thinking Straight was released as both a physical CD (on Bandcamp and Fishel's website store) and a digital download (on iTunes and Amazon worldwide).

Style and themes

Musically, the album incorporates elements of alternative rock, punk rock, pop punk and rock. It has been described as "a blend of heavy guitars, big vocal harmonies and anthemic choruses". Fishel is openly gay and many of the songs and lyrics on Not Thinking Straight deal candidly with the "joys, pains and experiences of growing up as a gay teenager and young man". The album showcases Fishel's "unique style of songwriting and production" and comprises thirteen tracks that explore love, lust, education, sexuality and "themes and issues surrounding gay life, relationships and experiences". In an interview with RightOutTV, Fishel said of the album: "Some songs are loud, angry and full of energy; some are fun, celebratory or tongue-in-cheek and others are quieter, more reflective and nostalgic." He told Jon Roth of Out Magazine: "There are songs on the album about boyfriends and relationships, coming out and the places I’ve lived, religion, hypocrisy, sexuality and education."

Artwork and album booklet

The artwork for Not Thinking Straight was created by San Diego comic book artist and illustrator Joe Phillips. The album cover depicts Fishel as a superhero in cartoon form, with a guitar on his back and piano keys around his hands. The words 'Super Fishel Comics' and '#1 First Issue' are also written on the cover. The CD version of the album comes with a sixteen-page colour booklet and the iTunes release comes with a digital eighteen-page colour booklet, each containing full artwork, lyrics, credits and thank yous. Both versions of the album booklet are presented in a comic book format. Each contains eighteen original illustrations by Phillips, with each illustration representing a different song's lyrics and showing images of young gay life and relationships.

Singles, remixes and B-sides

Six singles have been released from Not Thinking Straight: "Football Song" (released June 7, 2010), "The First Time" (released November 7, 2011), "Behind Closed Doors" (released April 9, 2012), "Testament" (released May 28, 2012), "Radio-Friendly Pop Song" (released March 18, 2013) and "When Boy Meets Boy" (released June 3, 2013). An a cappella version of album track "Armitage Shanks (Jamie)" was released as a B-side to the "Football Song" single; Amsterdam remixer/producer Matt Pop provided two remixes of "The First Time" for its single release; the "Behind Closed Doors" single includes both a remix of the song by J Stax and an a cappella version of the song performed by Fishel and the "When Boy Meets Boy" single includes an acoustic version of the song and another remix by Matt Pop.

Music videos

Official music videos were released for singles "Football Song" (directed by Dan Shipton), "The First Time" (directed by Alexis Dos Santos), "Testament" (directed by Arno), "Radio-Friendly Pop Song" (produced by Tyjens Media and animated by Kenneth Wilcox) and "When Boy Meets Boy" (directed and animated by Joe Phillips).

Critical reception

Howard Stump of music blog Soundtrack To My Day said Not Thinking Straight was: "smart, funny, and still remains honest and very real. And when you pair honesty and smart up so well, it can't help but be kinda sexy, too. Stylistically [there is] a wonderfully eclectic feeling to [Fishel's] music. And while he tells universal stories of love, loss and life, Matt doesn't shy away from the fact he is a gay man, using that experience to enrich the lyrics....[it's] a wonderful journey, touching on aspects of life from teen to adult. The album touches my heart in so many ways, at times making me smile, or give a sigh, or even drop a tear or two. It speaks to our shared histories of love, hurt, and confusion, all part of growing up." Music journalist and broadcaster JD Doyle of Queer Music Heritage said of Not Thinking Straight: "I just love the new Matt Fishel CD! I've been calling his music 'Political Power Pop'...it's music that never even thought about being in the closet."

Awards and nominations

Not Thinking Straight won the Album Of The Year award at the 2013 Co-operative Respect 'Loved By You' Awards, voted for by the public.

Track listing

All tracks written by Matt Fishel.
All songs produced by Fishel and Mark Crew except for "Football Song", produced by Fishel.

Credits & Personnel

Credits for Not Thinking Straight are adapted from the album's liner notes.