An unexpected sonic adventure, Ambient, Folktronica and Experimental sounds from CMF aka Matthew Followill, lead guitarist of Kings Of Leon with debut solo LP...

Best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of Kings Of Leon, Matthew Followill steps into unfamiliar territory with the announcement of his debut solo project under the CMF moniker. Titled If We’re Apart, I’m Somewhere Missing You, the expansive 26-track collection sees Followill move beyond the arena-sized rock foundations that defined his career, embracing a more introspective world shaped by ambient composition, folktronica and deeply personal experimentation.

Having helped steer one of the 21st century’s most commercially successful bands, with Grammy Awards, multi-platinum records and global headline tours — Followill’s solo work reveals a markedly different creative instinct. Across If We’re Apart, I’m Somewhere Missing You, hazy atmospherics, washed-out guitar textures and understated psychedelia replace stadium dynamics, offering a body of work rooted in reflection, mood and sonic exploration.

His fluid, emotive guitar playing remains central throughout, surfacing in the drifting melancholia of tracks such as Our National Treasure, Soap Opera, I Never Say It, But I Always Want To (You’re Still My Hero) and Peach Fuzz. Elsewhere, Followill leans further into synthesis and abstraction from the floating arpeggios of Morningness to the enveloping drones of AM.2 and AM.3, before unfolding into the delicate, slow-blooming textures of Waning Moon and Waxing Moon. The project’s experimental edge broadens further through rhythmic passages on tracks including Country Silver and Good Time Killer, where warped delays, grainy processing and oscillating effects deepen the record’s dreamlike quality. The result is a striking departure from the sound long associated with Followill, presenting a more vulnerable and exploratory perspective on an artist whose musical identity has, until now, largely existed within the framework of one of modern rock’s biggest bands. If We’re Apart, I’m Somewhere Missing You offers not only Matthew Followill’s first substantial solo statement, but perhaps his most personal work to date — tracing new emotional and sonic territory far removed from the spotlight that made his name.