Matt DeAngelis In This World – Jazz-Rock Soul Searching for Unity

11/02/2026 32

Thank God I love music enough to keep me busy and out of the turmoil. It gives me a place to breathe, where the batteries charge before the daily avalanche of headlines hits again. So when In This World by Matt DeAngelis came through my speakers, I leaned in. Slowly. Fully. I was looking for something grounded – and that’s exactly what came through.

The Sound of Long-Term Chemistry

Mat DeAngelis comes out of Turnersville, New Jersey, and he shows his range as a singer, pianist, and keyboardist. However, what strikes me first is the chemistry around him. Billy Kennedy handles guitars while also co-producing and engineering. Eric Bishop signs in on the bass. Cole Herudek goes with the drums and percussion. And then there’s Tom Conran, taking good care of the backing vocals and mix.

You hear the years they’ve put in together. Nobody rushes. Nobody fights for space. I love that kind of control. It only happens when musicians trust each other enough to pull off something remarkable.

Swing Under Pressure

They build the groove in 12/8. It slaps back at you – and I take that slap with comfort. The rhythm rolls forward with a jazz-rock sway that feels almost tidal. It swings, and weight is right there in the groove. Meanwhile, the lyric keeps circling a central truth: “Everybody knows what it means to live in this world.” I hear that line and fold my hands like a prayer.

DeAngelis writes with plain imagery – rocks, stones, chains, rain – and ties those elements to fear, temptation, pressure, and daily noise. Mid last year, we spent time with his Rock And A Hard Place, and I remember the same instinct there: grounding big questions in simple, physical images. He keeps everything tangible. The weight sits right there in your palms.

Faith, Humanity, and Daily Choices

Matt DeAngelis builds his work out of Southern New Jersey, as I’ve already mentioned, and he started writing songs at eight years old. That kind of early dedication shapes skill and some extra bonus: character.

At the same time, life pressed hard. A diagnosis of OCD and anxiety during his youth forced him to confront the speed and tension of the world around him. Instead of retreating, he learned to translate that pressure into structure. Because of that, the spiritual vocabulary in In This World grows from real confrontation with fear, urgency, and responsibility.

Find out more about Matt DeAngelis on X, Instagram, Spotify, or Bandcamp. If he can chase storms across state lines, you can click a link.