Matthew Mole

Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Matthew Mole is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose blend of rousing indie folk and light electronica topped the country’s iTunes charts with two consecutive albums in the mid-2010s. By the decade’s end, he had become a festival mainstay with numerous South African Music Award nominations to his credit.
Taking influence from folk music and more progressive acts like Jonsi and Gold Panda, Mole briefly played in an electronic duo during his early college years, but soon began writing more organic songs of his own on acoustic guitar, banjo, ukulele, and other instruments. His first solo release, You Did Good, Kid, was self-released in 2011. A year later he won top prize in the Converse Get Out of the Garage contest which helped him net a deal with the Just Music label, which released his second EP, Same Parts, Same Heart, that same year.
Mole’s breakthrough came in 2013 with the release of his debut album, The Home We Built, which reached number one on his country’s iTunes Chart, making him the first native South African to achieve that honor. Buoyed by the streaming hit, “Take Yours, I’ll Take Mine,” Mole began playing festivals around the country and supporting international touring acts like Bastille and Of Monsters and Men. His follow-up album, Run, arrived in 2016 and again topped the South African iTunes Chart while Mole expanded his touring base into Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. Signing with Universal, he returned in 2019 with his third album, Ghost. 2020 began with a series of singles including “Pennsylvania” and “Keep It Together.” ~ Timothy Monger