On the Isle of Arran, off the western coast of Scotland, craggy mountains loom half-lost in fog. A long history has placed villages and castles on green hills surrounded by woodland, which flows vibrant rivers and tall falls. Even now, ancient ruins remain on beaches around which the lives of its builders’ descendants go simply on, fishing and laboring and passing on stories. In contrast, somewhere on this island, a thirteen-year-old laid hands on a pirated Green Day Insomniac album and began to create a new kind of music influenced by American blues and country rock. This is more or less the story of Matt Johnston, the leader of The Narcissist Cookbook, and their music is awesomely weird.
Described as “Mudslinger/songwrecker” on their Spotify, The Narcissist Cookbook’s music is loud and energetic, telling rapid stories about life in all its greatness and mundanity, with lyrics like, “No one ever got happier / Sittin’ around / Waitin’ to get happier / So stop making excuses / And start making yourself some fuckin’ breakfast / How is it almost 3 pm? Come on!” (From “GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE,” for which the all-caps stylization is absolutely essential) and also like, “Your brain is three pounds of pork / Riddled with conscience,” (From, “vs The Heat Death of the Universe!”). Those examples are off the album This is How We Get Better, a concept album about depression that often feels like a friend hitting you over the head with music until you stop moping and get your act together.
The music of The Narcissist Cookbook could be the most punk rock acoustic folk can get before the instruments crumble under the weight of it. Matt Johnston’s musical development included busking on the road and playing at bars, and with an added detour through spoken-word monologues, they emerged with this incredible, bombastic power. This is How We Get Better, which was The Narcissist Cookbook’s breakout album, positioning them as the raucous ringleader of a new genre of music-slash-storytelling that is frighteningly honest in the most liberating way.
After a sold-out tour in the UK, The Narcissist Cookbook is considering a future that includes international tours, an upcoming compilation album (featuring a highly requested director’s cut of a track from 2018, “Courtney,” in defense of Kurt Cobain’s wife), and not least of all a brand new album titled MYTH. It’s shaping up to be a big year for The Narcissist Cookbook, an excellent time for their career, activism, and message.
The sound and storytelling of The Narcissist Cookbook isn’t just about rebelling against musical norms or being rambunctious and fun. There’s a message carried in all the sound, the musicality, the messages, and the storytelling, and it’s about being honest with yourself and accepting those parts of you that you might feel like you want to ignore or hide. Their stories are often deliberately about uncomfortable things, told bluntly, with rough music and raw vocals that magnify the realness. While they’re at it, The Narcissist Cookbook also philanthropically supports TransLifeline, an authentic way of helping the transgender community.
If you haven’t heard The Narcissist Cookbook and are curious about a sound unlike anything you’ve ever heard, they’re easy to find on Spotify, with more than 110,000 monthly listeners. With a potential international tour on the horizon, The Narcissist Cookbook is ready to inflict a special kind of self-awareness on an increasing number of listeners who know how rare it is to achieve this perfect balance of irreverent fun.