Matthew Mole

Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Matthew Mole works as a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose fusion of energetic indie folk with understated electronica secured two straight number-one albums on the national iTunes chart during the mid-2010s. By the close of the decade he had established himself as a regular festival performer and earned multiple South African Music Award nominations.

Drawing from folk traditions as well as forward-looking artists such as Jonsi and Gold Panda, Mole spent his first years at college in an electronic duo before shifting toward more acoustic material that he wrote and performed himself on guitar, banjo, ukulele, and additional instruments. His initial solo project, the self-released You Did Good, Kid, appeared in 2011. Twelve months later he claimed first place in the Converse Get Out of the Garage competition, which led to a recording contract with Just Music and the 2012 release of his second EP, Same Parts, Same Heart.

Mole achieved his breakthrough in 2013 when his debut full-length, The Home We Built, became the first album by a South African artist to reach the top of the country’s iTunes Chart. Propelled by the streaming success of “Take Yours, I’ll Take Mine,” he began appearing at festivals nationwide and opened shows for international visitors including Bastille and Of Monsters and Men. His next album, Run, followed in 2016, again claiming the number-one iTunes position while his live work expanded into Europe, North America, and sections of Asia. After signing with Universal he issued his third album, Ghost, in 2019. The year 2020 opened with several singles, among them “Pennsylvania” and “Keep It Together.”