Hamilton, ON Songwriter Matty Simpson Explores Isolation, Survival, and Hope on Reflective Folk Rock Single “Boxcar Baby”

Hamilton, Ontario singer-songwriter and guitarist Matty Simpson shares “Boxcar Baby,” a melancholic and introspective folk rock single rooted in empathy, observation, and the quiet resilience of people surviving on the margins. Blending organic roots instrumentation with vivid storytelling, the track paints a portrait of loneliness and perseverance while reflecting on the fragile balance between hardship and hope.

Inspired by real interactions in his neighbourhood, “Boxcar Baby” emerged from Simpson’s reflections on the bottle collectors and unhoused individuals he encountered regularly. “Songwriting is a cathartic experience for me, and events and situations that are happening in my daily life often come out when I’m writing,” he explains. “This song portrays a vagrant type character living in desperation.”

The title itself carries symbolic weight. Drawn from a spontaneous lyrical phrase that surfaced during one of Simpson’s meditative songwriting sessions, “Boxcar Baby” references a Great Depression-era term for train hoppers searching for a better life. “Often lines in songs just come out of me, making up sounds and words in a meditative-like state when playing my guitar,” Simpson says. “When I look back on what I was doing, I can get pieces of the puzzle that I’m putting together.”

At the emotional centre of the song is a real-life story that deeply affected him. A bottle collector who kept his shopping cart behind Simpson’s house shared how he would climb Hamilton’s escarpment in freezing temperatures to retrieve carts and gather enough bottles to afford a room and a few beers. “His routine would continue even in mid January, with sub-zero temperatures,” Simpson recalls. Wanting to help, he began collecting bottles from friends and neighbours to help fill the man’s cart himself.

Musically, “Boxcar Baby” leans into an organic and understated production style that allows the songwriting to remain front and centre. Produced alongside Aaron Goldstein, the recordings were captured live off the floor with the band performing together in the room. “The idea is always to get out of the way of the song and just give it as much as it needs,” Simpson explains. “The song can stand alone with me and an acoustic guitar. The production should support that and not try to change or get in the way of that.”

Longtime collaborator and partner Justine Fischer also played an important role in shaping the material. “Together, we are able to bounce ideas off each other and refine a piece of music or edit the lyrics,” Simpson shares. “We will perform songs to an audience to see what works and what doesn’t, and usually you can tell pretty quickly that way.”

“Boxcar Baby” appears on Simpson’s forthcoming album Sky Breaks at Dawn, a body of work that explores uncertainty, healing, love, time, and perseverance. Across the record, Simpson reflects on the tension between decay and renewal; the way time can both heal and wear us down. “We learn to live with that balance,” he says. “Finding moments of peace in a world of perpetual chaos. Hope and acceptance, appreciating the moment while prioritizing love.”