Matthew John Durwood Tomlinson has the look of a madman but is a pretty decent fellow. He has been singing in French for a couple of years now, and has just released his first full-length album en francais, Un été en hiver. Originally from Ontario, Tomlinson moved to Montreal so long ago it is barely worth mentioning. However he did manage to fake his way into the hearts of strangers with his – often highly impressionistic – take on the French language. Having been accused of possessing a latin soul, Tomlinson to this day insists that he is ‘spritually Italian.’

The moderately talented singer is fortunate to be surrounded by a cast of impressive characters including a kind troll, a mad ship captain, an interstellar sorceress, an avant-garde gnome, an elf queen, a friendly giant, and many other gracious beings. Music seems to hang around this ‘frustrated actor’, flooding his senses at all the wrong times. Tomlinson continues to carve out a path where few have ventured – even if it means portaging a canoe over a frozen lake in -20 degree weather…

With, Un été en hiver, our hero emerges triumphant over those moments when he felt like his mouth was full of marbles… Returning to the limelight with his feet firmly planted in the snow, and his accent intact. Some would describe it as the sound of an artist who has surrendered to his destiny. Cinematic indie folk… Others call it Wizard Rock. Regardless of how these tunes may be classified in the annals of music history, may they raise your spirits on even the coldest nights…

« His songwriting is grand enough to fill his contemporaries with oceans of envy. Though the whole LP flows with wonderful tunes, we feel a standout would be the beautifully done “Aussi loin que la lune” drenched in atmosphere and building to a magnificent climax. Matt Tomlinson’s Un été en hiver is one of the best albums of 2015. »
– Canadian Music Blog 

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Un été en hiver annonce une nouvelle époque dans la carrière de Matt Tomlinson. L'auteur-compositeur-interprète accordant sa sensibilité musicale anglaise à un verbe français beau et dépouillé dans un folk rock à la fois cru, raffiné, et planant. Un album assumé, à son image, élégamment décalé et rieur, empreint d'une poésie vraie à la fois légère et profonde, d'une voix suave et d'un accent charmeur. Réalisation de ti-hawk (Tim Gowdy - Barr Brothers, Coral Egan) mettant à contribution le coauteur Michael Dudemaine, Un été en hiver devrait révéler Tomlinson comme il est vraiment; un artiste libre et libéré… Ici to stay.

« Plein de sensibilité, les textes d'Un été en hiver (en partie signés Michael Dudemaine) versent dans la poésie pensive, voire contemplative. La voix est chaleureuse, teintée d'un petit accent suave. »
— Le Droit

« L'Ontarien anglophone Matt Tomlinson lance un tout premier long jeu en français : Un été en hiver. À l'oreille, un folk onirique et berçant qui laisse la place à une poésie légère, roucoulée par un accent charmeur. »
— La Tribune

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