Resembling either a night that ended far too late or a morning that began far too early, the music of San Francisco’s mysterious lo-fi pop project Tony Jay exists in a unique space, a space where the band are free to dream boldly in the half-light, and coax real wonder from layers of tape hiss and fog obscured jangle.
Emerging from that half-light just about ready to face the day, latest album Perfect World’s soundscapes dwell beautifully in those lost, in-between moments when everything is simultaneously bearing down but nowhere to be found, punctuating the uncertainty with gentle melody and the purest of heart.
Distant but yet inviting, moments like the post-VU strum of Isolated Visions or the stark power of Talking In My Sleep offer instant rewards, whilst the hypnotic guitar lines and chimes that weave in and out of tracks like Just My Charm reveal themselves slowly with repeated plays.
Connections are formed and frayed, fragile beauty found in faraway solitude, channeling the strange magic that can make life so bearable and unbearable all in the same breath. This music somehow manages to give shape and structure to emotions that many of us would otherwise struggle to rationalise, and for that we owe Tony Jay endless thanks.
Order via Slumberland Records here.
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