Singer/songwriter Matt Maltese is a romantic at heart: It shows in his lyricism, in his voice, and in his latest and greatest single, “Buses Replace Trains” – a highlight off his recently released sixth studio album, ‘Hers.’
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Stream: “Buses Replace Trains” – Matt Maltese
Matt Maltese has always worn his heart on his sleeve, but never quite like this.
With his sixth studio album Hers, the beloved singer/songwriter dives deeper than ever into love’s quiet truths and long-haul devotion, crafting a record that’s as vulnerable as it is timeless.
Maltese continues to amaze listeners with the recent release of Hers (independent, May 16). The long-awaited project is a collection of the musician’s perspectives on different life events he’s faced, and how he’s handled them emotionally. The record is a thoughtful, nostalgic, and compelling exploration of long-term love and personal reflection.
Close ain’t close enough
I wanna’ tiptoe in your mind
Forever is too short
I wanna’ make love in the afterlife
And time won’t stop being kind
Minds won’t stop changing minds
“I’ve written a lot of music that comes from a place of infatuation, but this record was written on reflection of a much longer-term love,” Maltese tells Atwood Magazine.
“The complications and wonderful roads that that goes through and the more informed heartaches that come out of it. I got to really reflect and slave over it… It’s a bit like having a year to write a really important email.”
Last month, the British singer/songwriter released one last single before the album’s arrival, titled “Buses Replace Trains.” This memorable track speaks to timeless love in an ever-evolving world. The title originates from a conversation with a friend about band names his Welsh uncle had brainstormed when he was a teenager. “Buses Replace Trains” was one of the suggested personas, which felt fitting to Maltese as the topic of a passionate love song.
Every single morning
You wrap your legs around mine
And satellites light above,
mythological crеatures run
Just to catch a glimpse of her
And busеs replace trains and
White lines replace planes but
There’s no replacing you and I
Buses replace trains and
Motors replace sails
But there’s no replacing you and I
Oh, I’d like to see them try
“There was something touching about the phrase ‘Buses Replace Trains’ out of context. It triggered, of course, the nostalgia of rail replacement buses in Reading growing up, but I also just couldn’t shake that it was a title for a love song. So plain and ordinary and quotidian,” Maltese adds.
Buses replace trains and
White lines replace planes but
There’s no replacing you and I
Buses replace trains and
Highways replace lanes but
There’s no replacing you and I
Oh, I’d like to see them try
There’s beauty in daily sights – ones that may seem mundane and dull, whether it’s realized or not.
Using the ordinary as a metaphor in a love song adds depth and relatability to the concept. Technology continues to advance in today’s society, the next big discovery always replacing the old. Maltese uses the metaphor of transportation to show that even when there are new, shiny paths to explore, they don’t compare to the tried and true. The love described is timeless, unfailing, and able to survive any obstacle. Bonds like this are rare, and they’re worth fighting for. That devotion is evident in every lyric of this sweet, affecting love song.
“I’m British enough to feel a slight shame of writing so many love songs in the past,” Maltese shares. “Maybe the more interesting thing on paper would have been to go to the other side of the world and write a concept album about prehistoric creatures or something, but at the end of the day, we’re all human, and love and people are things we’re all continually affected by.”
“It’s my job as a songwriter to excavate the things in my life, and that’s what I was going through,” he concludes.
“Buses Replace Trains” is a tender triumph – a stirring ode to lasting love in a world that never stops changing.
With poetic simplicity and emotional clarity, Matt Maltese reminds us that some things truly are irreplaceable. It’s no wonder the song was named one of Atwood Magazine’s Editor’s Picks, standing out as a shining moment of warmth, vulnerability, and timeless devotion on Hers.
I know it’s not that simple
But it is
I know it’s not that simple
But it is
I know- I know it’s not that simple
But it is
Oh, oh
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Stream: “Buses Replace Trains” – Matt Maltese
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© Vinca Petersen
© Vinca Petersen
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