A calm water body with rocks and dry grass along the shoreline, reflecting large boulders and tree remnants on the surface, with the words 'BETTER TIMES' at the bottom.

better times

OUT NOW

“stripped-down, bare bones

Payne’s music shines… His vocals straddle the spacious sounds of folk, along with some rustic country outings ala Gram Parsons.”

— John Apice / AMERICANA HIGHWAYS

“Gothic rural landscape, spare instrumental backing, Plus a voice that calls up a Lone Star equivalent of Dylan's fresh-from-Minnesota antecedent.”

— RAMBLES

“raw, heartfelt songs that blend county, bluegrass and a bit of blues…

redolent of early Bob Dylan.”

— AMERICANA HIGHWAYS

“The songwriting by Payne on this entire album is poetic and straightforward, delivering characters and places that are very vibrant and real. He has a talent for spelling out the struggles and trials of life, along with a few triumphs, in a way that is very relatable.”

— MAVERICK COUNTRY

Listen & Buy on Bandcamp

Logo with a teal parallelogram and the letters 'bc' next to it inside a white circle on a teal background.
Album cover art for 'Coyote Howlin Blues' by Matthew Payne, featuring a silhouette of a howling coyote, a large tree, a full moon, on a textured brown background.

COYOTE HOWLIN BLUES [EP]