Matt DeAngelis Finds Hope at the Piano on “Been There Done That”
The Southern New Jersey Songwriter Channels Elton John and Billy Joel Into a Piano-Led Anthem
A gospel choir rises behind a single piano, and Matt DeAngelis lets his voice carry the weight. “Been There Done That” is the Southern New Jersey singer-songwriter’s 2024 single and music video. It opens in the hush of a Sunday-morning ballad, then climbs toward something far bigger. This is piano-led rock with gospel in its bones, written for anyone who has needed a reason to keep going.
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‘Been There Done That’ Builds From Solo Piano to a Full Choir
The arrangement puts the piano front and centre. DeAngelis works in vivid, unhurried phrases that give the song room to breathe. The tempo stays laid back through the verses, patient enough that every chord change registers. Then the dynamics start to build. A saxophone solo lifts the middle section. A full choir opens the final stretch, and the last chorus lands like a release. That climb from low to high is the whole design. The track begins sombre and reflective, then gathers force one section at a time.
His vocal sits right at the centre of it, controlled and poignant rather than showy. He sings with the kind of R&B phrasing that rewards restraint. In the verses he holds back, so the horns and the choir can do the heavy lifting when the big moment arrives. Meanwhile, the production leans into an earthy, retro palette, all warm keys and live-room air. It sounds like a band captured together, not a grid of samples. A big finish means more when the opening stays this quiet.
An 80s Rock Lineage That Runs Through Elton John and Billy Joel
Put “Been There Done That” next to the piano-rock records that ruled radio in the 1980s. The family resemblance is clear. DeAngelis reaches for the same emotive power that made Elton John‘s ballads connect. A single held note can turn a plain line into the peak of a song. The storytelling-at-the-keys instinct runs closer still to Billy Joel, the working songwriter who built anthems out of ordinary lives and a strong piano hook.
In fact, that connection goes beyond surface style. The recording features a multi-instrumentalist from Billy Joel’s own band. You can hear that pedigree in the way the arrangement swells and settles with a veteran’s timing. This one is for anyone who still keeps Elton John, Billy Joel, and the blue-eyed soul end of 80s radio in rotation. It speaks their language without copying anyone.
What “Been There Done That” Is Really About
Underneath the arrangement is a plain, generous message. The move from a sombre opening to a hopeful finish mirrors what the lyrics reach for. It is an encouragement to keep going when the past has left its marks.
“‘Been There Done That’ is a song I wrote to inspire people to keep moving forward in their lives despite the struggles they have endured in the past,” DeAngelis has said, describing it as a piece about learning from mistakes and becoming better for them.
As a result, that intent shapes the whole recording. DeAngelis writes the main parts of his songs first. Then he builds them up over long studio sessions with producer Bill Kennedy, chasing the finished version in the room rather than the demo. The patience shows. Every lift is earned. The optimism of the last chorus reads as something worked toward, not simply announced.
Where Matt DeAngelis Fits in the Independent Rock Scene
DeAngelis is a singer-songwriter from Turnersville, in Southern New Jersey. He is a committed independent who releases on his own terms. His catalogue refuses to sit in one lane, threading 80s rock, alt-pop, and alt-country together. It runs from the guitar-forward “Rock and a Hardplace” to the album “World I’m Comin’ For You.” He is also a regular live performer who builds his sets around singing straight to a crowd.
That range is the appeal. “Been There Done That” is the piano-and-gospel corner of that catalogue. It makes DeAngelis an easy recommendation for fans of classic and modern rock who still want a song with something to say. The single has already picked up coverage from outlets like Sinusoidal Music and Edgar Allan Poets. That is a sign the record is finding ears beyond his home scene.
IndieMusic.News curator team: “For a track that begins so quietly, it earns one of the biggest finishes we have heard from an independent artist this year. The saxophone handing off to that choir is built for a room full of people singing along, and it turns a personal song into a shared one.”
Stream Matt DeAngelis on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and YouTube Music. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and X, or visit his official site for the full catalogue.
