MJ (Hookworms / Suburban Home)
Matthew ‘MJ' Johnson is a record producer and musician based in Leeds. Predominantly known as the singer and keyboard player with Hookworms (Domino Records), Matthew has also produced a number of songs playlisted on BBC 6 Music for artists including Joanna Gruesome, Martha, Frankie and the Heartstrings, Tracey Thorn and Lusts. In 2014 he was named Record Producer of the Year by The Line of Best Fit, having won the Welsh Music Prize for his work producing the Joanna Gruesome album Weird Sister earlier that year, with the follow up Peanut Butter also scoring a nomination in 2015.
Hookworms album Pearl Mystic featured in album of the year lists compiled by Brooklyn Vegan, Loud & Quiet, The Wall St Journal and Drowned in Sound. Their second album The Hum went to no.1 in the Official Album Breakers chart and was an album of the year in NME, Loud and Quiet and Rough Trade. Critics have labelled third album Microshift an "Instant Classic" (Q Magazine), with both The Guardian and The Times awarding five star reviews. It scored the band their first top twenty album, entering the charts at no. 18 in February this year.