Matt Ryd’s new album, Looking for Home, is so sweet you might have to brush your teeth after giving it a listen. From the Chicago area, Matt Ryd seems to be the guy your mother wanted you to date but you didn’t want to because of his “nice guy” front. Ryd is nice, safe, and cute in all the right ways. But towards the end of the album you want to hear him come out of his shell. The album shows a great talent still searching for what direction to go in, acoustic pop, rock or electronic.

The album’s genre jumps through different types of music, and by doing this plays it safe and appeald to a mass audience. If you like island ukulele vibes, there’s a song for you. If you enjoy electronic pop, there’s also a song for you. Ryd handcrafted an album that will appeal to almost every music lover. And by doing so, at some points the album gets a little tired. I found myself longing for some track to take me by surprise, to shake my core of what I thought Ryd represents.

The track “Impression” is lovely. It gives off the “impression” of a slightly nerdy, but attractive male wondering about the girl he’s with. What is the mystery girl’s intention? It’s a question that has plagued insecure males everywhere and this song perfectly captures that feeling, giving them an anthem. This theme continues throughout the album with “For So Long,” which captures a sweet, but nerdy vibe with lyrics like “Nothing I can’t do without you” and on cue girls sigh everywhere.

The most popular track on the album, “Healed,” was previously featured in a Scrubs episode. It’s easy to see how this song would lend itself to a soundtrack. It’s a mixture of Owl City and Death Cab for Cutie. The upbeat and sensitive pop chorus is similar to a Gin Blossoms song. It’s the perfect background music for a tv show, movie or just a late night drive. Later in the album, “Home” also borrows the sweet electronic beats from Owl City and places them in Ryd’s sweet pop/rock sound. The intro is incredibly similar to the opening of the Owl City track “Fireflies.”

“Wonderin” shows Ryd dabbling in the bluegrass/country genre. Obviously this is the perfect genre to sing about lost love. The song showcases Ryd’s musings on whether a past love was a mistake. Another key track, “Lie To Me” echoes the island vibes of Jason Mraz.

“When I Fall” is the most unique song on the entire album. I wish Ryd spent more time experimenting with his lower vocal tones. It has a dark serious tone that you immediately take notice of. It suits him well, drawing in the listener to his carefully articulated words.

As a maturing artist, we can expect more interesting things to come our way from Matt Ryd. This is only the beginning for him and I’m interested to see what direction he goes in on his next album.