1. Somebody Else.
This song talks about someone that Matty’s feelings of when the person he used to love/still loves take on someone new. As Matty said:
“It’s something that talks about the guilty feelings that you don’t really like thinking about.”
I have a love-hate relationship with this song, as it brings me back memories with a certain person whom I kind of really liked and the feeling was mutual, but we never got together. There was a time where we both sat down together at the ‘rooftop’ (actually a parking lot on the roof) and started playing this song on the guitar. At that time, she already had a boyfriend (whom she never failed to tell me that he reminded her of me) and my friends who were also there claimed that throughout the whole song, she was just looking at me.
The part of this song that wrecks me the most is when Matty sings: “I just don’t believe that you have got it in you, because we are just gonna keep doing it; and every time I start to believe in anything you’re saying, I’m reminded that I should be getting over it.” (as that line accurately described my emotions at that point in time.)
2. The Sound.
Goddamn, why are there so many songs that remind me of that certain person that I used to like? The song technically is about a one night stand and carries many sexual innuendos, but to me it also carries a sadder meaning behind it.
Based on my personal feel of this song (and personal experience), some parts of this song can also be interpreted as falling in love/really liking your best friend (what happened to me) as the beginning goes “Well I know when you’re around cause I know the sound of your heart”, due to being around that person so often that you know them so well.
Or else, I also interpreted it as purposely having one night stands to get over someone (which was what I somewhat did as I kept flirting with others and getting into meaningless relationships just to get over her).
“You’re so conceited, I said that I love you, why does it matter if I lied to you?” This line to me is like what I did last time, throwing around ‘I love you’s to those I flirted with in order to feel needed if I couldn’t get whoever I wanted. “And we left things to protect my mental health, but you'll call me when you're bored and you're playing with yourself.” That’s exactly what the person I liked and I always did, and I need not go into details :)
3. She Lays Down.
According to here, After finishing writing “Nana”, producer Mike Crossey suggested that Matty, still in tears from writing, should record a take of “She Lays Down” while in such an emotional state. It ended up being used on the album and can be inferred that the sentence is his approval. He knew that it would be the best and most heartfelt. As Matty said:
“‘She Lays Down’ is about my mum. It doesn’t get much more personal than that. I’m sure my mum won’t mind me saying this, but she told me a story when I was about 17, she was so gripped by post-natal depression that she was coming into my room when I was a couple of months old, lying on the floor and actively trying to love me.”
The song is quite straightforward, and describes his mother’s emotions and thoughts due to the effect of depression. The line that gets me the most is when he says: “She’s appalled by not loving me at all.” This is where she most likely feels ashamed or frustrated that she isn’t able to feel any love for Matty when he was a small child due to depression.