2001–2002: Solo project beginnings and early career Syd Matters originally started as a solo project by frontman
Jonathan Morali, who started his performing career playing at small bars in 2001. The name Syd Matters comes from the slight modification of the names of two
Pink Floyd members,
Syd Barrett and
Roger Waters. Morali won the inaugural CQFD contest in 2002, ran by French magazine
Les Inrockuptibles, which earned him a recording contract with Third Side Records. Morali's first release as Syd Matters was
Fever In Winter, Shiver In June, an EP released in 2002.
2003–2007: A Whisper and A Sigh and Someday We Will Foresee Obstacles In 2003, Syd Matters released their debut album
A Whisper and A Sigh. The album was mostly done by Morali solo with some help from others. After this album was released, Morali constructed a new quintet of bandmates, marking the band's official creation sometime in 2004. That same year, the band would record the second Syd Matters album,
Someday We Will Foresee Obstacles, released in 2005. A mixture of
folk and melancholic
pop, the tracks combined slow
melodies with
acoustic instruments while holding true to roots in
electronic music. A duet with
Ane Brun, titled "Little Lights", was released in 2005 on Brun's collaborative album
Duets. In 2006, a self-titled compilation CD containing various songs from the band's first two albums was released in America.
2008–2019: Ghost Days, Brotherocean, and Life is Strange The band released their third album
Ghost Days in 2008, and their fourth album
Brotherocean in 2010. During this time, Morali was also part of the French rock band the Palmtree Family. In 2015, the band's songs "To All Of You" and "Obstacles" were featured in the 2015 video game
Life Is Strange. Morali would also be the composer for the game's original soundtrack as well as its 2018 sequel
Life Is Strange 2.
2020–2023: Hiatus and anniversary releases In 2021, in celebration of the record label's 20th anniversary, Third Side Records released new editions of
A Whisper and A Sigh and
Someday We Will Foresee Obstacles, which included bonus tracks and previously unreleased demos on the digital versions.
2024–present: Touring comeback and new music In November 2024, the band performed a new song titled "Holy Ghost" during an appearance on the
Radio France station
France Culture. The band also announced they were recording new songs. In November 2025, the band's social media became active again, with the band announcing a show at
L'Olympia for November 2026. In March 2026, Morali announced the band would be having additional Europe tour dates from October to December 2026. On 29 April 2026, the band released the song "Many Years in the Making", their first new music release in over 15 years. == Media appearances ==