Album Review: Matt Goodluck - Portals (2025)
- Stuart Ball
- 21 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Written: 9th December 2025
Alongside my love of rock and metal, which began in the mid-late 1980s, I also became a committed follower of some electronic music, mainly thanks to Tangerine Dream and Jean Michel-Jarre. Influences of both can be found here and on his new album Portals, Australian Matt Goodluck states he draws on inspiration from composers such as Vangelis, Brian Eno and John Carpenter, all artists I came to appreciate myself. Such a range of touchstones bodes well for an interesting journey.
Portals opens with the expansive and oscillating Shifting Sands, immediately delivering vibes of Tangerine Dream, pulsating steadily as an electric guitar adds colourful textures to the sound. Synths dance iridescently in the background and as the title suggests, the track does not rest; during its final quarter, the guitar occasionally becomes insistent, surging with undulating notes. A spoken word section features a quote by Brazilian novelist and lyricist Paulo Coelho, giving us direction in understanding the overall message within Shifting Sands and emphasising the importance of perseverance in life. “On your journey to your dream, be ready to face oasis and deserts. In both cases, don't stop.” Goodluck delivers an opening track that gives a clear indication of what is to come and invites us to draw closer and immerse ourselves fully.
Dark Waters begins ominously with a deep synth chord and this leads to a plaintive synth motif backed by slowly strummed guitar chords. Subsequently, sequenced motifs form the backdrop to a melody that ripples and shimmers high above, bringing a feeling of blooming and discovery. Synergy - astral and cosmic in approach - brings a feeling of serenity and comfort and is redolent of the ambient work of Stellardone, another artist I much admire. During the first two minutes, this gradually flows and meanders as synths combine and the Chapman Stick of Andy Salvanos adds chimeric tones. as it comes to an end, Synergy leaves us in an empyrean and liminal realm, floating and unsure of our destination. Goodluck’s use of time means that nothing feels rushed and he allows time for themes to develop before moving on.
The celestial theme continues on Ancient Astronauts which opens with the sound of static on a radio. We then join the travellers, conjuring wonderous emotions of quiet contemplation as we consider the scene before us. Electronic percussion provides structure as the track progresses bringing flickers of Vangelis’s Alpha to mind. A quote from the 1973 NASA documentary Who’s Out There? brings out interstellar curiosity inherent within the track. “We'll be searching the planets and the galaxies for clues to fill in the new patterns we're discovering, the evolution of evolutions that has produced us and the possible millions of other civilizations." Ancient Astronauts adds further convincing evidence that Portals is an album best experienced in the dark or while wearing headphones.
Brining variety to the album, Dune is an altogether unnerving piece that is served well by Mark Franco’s fretless bass and the almost tribal percussion. It imparts a quality of restlessness and an increasingly tenebrous aura. This trepidation subsides as After Hours begins; however, it shows that Portals is not predictable as the lush chords of the first part of the track segue into intertwining layers of synths that seem to send each other in opposing directions. The last part of the track ignites and a more rhythmic, incandescent atmosphere ensues. Goodluck describes it as, "A hypnotic late-night journey through neon-lit streets." Further diversity comes in the form of Visions, angular, brooding and eidolic during its opening section. Several quotes from a 1962 lecture by Aldous Huxley add to the numinous qualities. “The visionary experience is so highly prized that, throughout the ages of recorded history, people have done their best to induce visions: they try to go to this other world by various artificial vehicles.” These three central tracks are, in many ways, the most thought-provoking of the album and they serve to define the album’s panoramic scope, interlacing polyphonic structures with prismatic hues.
A deep breath introduces Golden Haze, the most consistently upbeat track to be found here with Max Leprosto’s guitar adding a radiant sheen. March of Fates is one of my favourite moments on the album and the combined use of acoustic guitar (from Rob McDade), piano and synths adds further elements we have not yet heard on Portals. Behind this sits an ever pulsing beat, emphasising the passing of time that never relents until the piano and acoustic guitar banish it during the final moments, a brief segment of pastoral beauty ensuing.
Penultimate track Still The Mind (inspired by a 1969 lecture by Alan Watts) leans into Goodluck’s love of the ambient, while the nine-minute Departure - with guitars, bass (by Cornel Wilczek) and synths morphing beautifully on a gloriously cinematic composition – finishes the album in blissfully unhurried fashion. This conclusion gives us space to absorb all that has unfolded and appreciate the remarkable journey Matt Goodluck has guided us through. By the end of the track, we are carried into an arcadian, solar expanse, propelled along a path toward an indeterminate horizon.
Portals is an album that invites full immersion rather than casual sampling. Each track plays a role in shaping a narrative that unfolds gradually and rewards attentive listening. Fans of Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Jet Black Sea, Steve Roach, Redshift and Stellardrone will find much to appreciate. My own introduction to Tangerine Dream came through albums that incorporated guitar and Force Majeure remains in my all-time top ten. For that reason, the tracks featuring guitar stand out most for me although the others all offer plenty to admire. Matt Goodluck has created a work that bridges electronic tradition with modern personal expression and offers a sense of continuity and evolution across its length. Immersive. Expansive. Textured.
Portals is out now.