Scott Matthews's new album The Great Untold will be revealed at Birmingham gig

Since the release of his first album, Passing Stranger, in 2006, everything has changed.

He’s toured the world, played at the Sydney Opera House, been lauded by critics and become a pal of Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant.

His breakout single, Elusive, earned him a battalion of fans and he’s won awards and been signed to one of the UK’s biggest record labels.

These days, however, he does things differently. He makes his music in the shed at the bottom of his garden and his record company is no longer Island – it’s his very own, appropriately-named Shedio Records. He’s taken back artistic control, so he decides what he records and when he releases it – as well as when he tours.

Scott will headline Birmingham’s St Paul’s Church on May 20 following the release of his new album, The Great Untold. The record follows his recent Home I and Home II sequence and marks the dawn of a new era for the performer.

Scott oversees every element of the record – from the songs to their recording, from their manufacture through to the artwork, which, in this case, features a portrait of him in oil by a Dutch painter.

“I sit there scrutinising every detail. The more I write songs the more I am aware of structure and I have become an editor of my own words. You can’t repeat yourself. You have to condense your lyrics to make it punchier and snappier.”

The record was announced with the release of Scott’s latest single, Cinammon, which has echoes of his signature song, Elusive.

“We rewrote the words two days before the video. I was sitting at the table with my wife trying to get it right. I think I had a mini meltdown, I was running into brick wall after brick wall.

“I literally finished it and sent it by WeTransfer to be mixed on the night before I was due to master it. Then I was driving down to London and I made the mistake of having a few beers. We had to finish Cinnamon on the day of mastering. Under the hood there was chaos and energy that made it come to life and yet it’s a very calm lyric. I was just glad to finish it.”

The feedback for Scott’s new album has been impressive and fans have been enjoying regular updates having funded the project through the Pledge system.

“Pledge is great because you don’t feel like you’re on your own. It can be a very isolating existence to sit in pitch black at the bottom of the garden recording songs when everyone has gone to bed.

“But to know you have the fans with you every step, always encouraging and asking what’s going on, makes a huge difference.

“There’s a core audience there and having Pledge behind what I’ve done has been vital to my existence. As Shedio, we wouldn’t have been able to afford a third of this: from manufacturing to pr – making records is expensive and it needs the fans to make it work. The mistake with previous management was spending money that wasn’t there and getting me into all sorts of trouble. With pledge, you have a true barometer of what you can do.”

Scott is hitting the road to promote The Great Untold and is looking forward to playing at the dreamlike St Paul’s, in Birmingham. He’s glad to be playing solo shows, rather than touring as a band, having done the latter in recent times.

“I’ve had really cool band-focused gigs before but I’ve come away feeling flat about that stuff. Every time I do a live solo gig, there’s a different kind of energy there that makes me really focused. I love the element of surprise that comes my way. With the band, it can get a bit stale if you’re not careful. In contrast, the solo thing makes me go into another realm. I never know from one gig to the next what will happen. It’s still exciting enough for me to step into the unknown – or to The Great Untold.”

Scott’s a fierce self-critic and pushes himself to ever-higher standards. The Great Untold sets the bar at a new high and captures a brilliantly focused singer-songwriter approaching the peak of his powers. His songwriting skills, abilities as a lyricist and talent as a guitarist and singer have all improved. He now stands toe-to-toe with such talents as Elliott Smith and Nick Drake, making transcendent and beautiful music.

“My parents are saying it’s my best one yet. You can only just go where you’re at in your current head space. I’m glad The Great Untold is here and I’m also mega excited about the next record, which will be something I’ve never done before.”