FEELIN' SALTY. Matt Hasenmueller (a.k.a. Fresco Savage) released his debut album, The Salty Batch, this September. (Submitted Photos)

You may have seen local comedian Matt Hasenmueller take the stage in Eau Claire in one of his numerous performances with Clear Water Comedy or at the first-ever Comedy in the Park event on Aug. 28 this year. You might even know of him musically from his previous band, The Millenium. Now, Hasenmueller’s rap alter ego, Fresco Savage – who hasn’t released music since 2020 – is back. 

Exactly three years later, Hasenmueller released his debut Fresco Savage album, The Salty Batch, Sept. 13. Though he released the single, “Fine ft. Yacht Daddy” in September 2020, the rest of the seven-song album is now available to stream on all major platforms.

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I didn’t (create the album) for anybody else, but me.

I want people to see that because I want them to see a true version of myself that they’ve never seen before, I’ve not pulled any punches. It’s just a snapshot of who I am and me figuring out adulthood and how to make friends with the kid version of myself.

Matt Hasenmueller

local musician & comedian

The album dives into deep topics while still being light-hearted and humorous, much like how Hasenmueller sees himself. He explores topics of modernity, the reconciliation of his spirituality – see: “Church Camp Freestyle” – and figuring out what he wants in life as an adult.

Hasenmueller started writing the album back in 2019 when he visited friend and producer Kyle Featherstone (a.k.a. Yacht Daddy). What began as a fun experiment for Hasenmueller to try out a more rap and pop style quickly turned into a passion project that he describes as “a reconciliation of who I want to be and who I am and how they come together to be one thing.”

Filled with adult jokes and innuendoes (come on, it’s called The Salty Batch!) the album is specifically meant to be whatever listeners want to take from it. As of now, four of the seven songs have spawned music videos, while three more videos are in the works and will be posted on YouTube and TikTok. All of the music videos were produced by Common Garden, a creative studio based in Nashville.

Hasenmueller said this project has given him more confidence in his creative abilities, as he had to make most of the creative decisions himself. While he says he knows this album likely won’t make him famous, he is proud of his candor and hopes people can see his authentic self within the lyrics.

“I didn’t (create the album) for anybody else, but me,” Hasenmueller said. “I want people to see that because I want them to see a true version of myself that they’ve never seen before, I've not pulled any punches. It’s just a snapshot of who I am and me figuring out adulthood and how to make friends with the kid version of myself.”

You can stream The Salty Batch on all major streaming platforms and watch Fresco Savage’s music videos as they are released on his social media.