Jonathan Bree has a new record out called Sleepwalking
Jonathan Bree has a new record out called Sleepwalking
The cover of Sleepwalking is a portrait of Jonathan Bree facing the camera square on, his features obscured by a faceless mask.
It's a strangely unsettling image and can be considered your first cue that on this, his third solo record, his music, and mindset have taken a turn towardsthe sinister. The bright and cartoony bubblegum pop of his early work in The Brunettes now well and truly popped.
As the title suggests, many of the songs on this ominous collection of 60s pop are dark and restless. They exist in an unnerving state of unease. However, the songs, while adorned in strangeness, are really quite beautiful. Nevertheless, something feels not quite right. They're a little off. A little peculiar. Always.
While he walks a darker path, it's not entirely unfamiliar ground. Bree's familiar 60s touchpoints are all here, acting as an occasional nightlight. His fascination with the era remaining a core part of his artistry and identity. Only, this time around, his songs sound like they could - or should - soundtrack a period-appropriate French new-wave thriller or European psychological horror.
Take the sliding, sustained choir 'ohhhs' which slip behind Bree's baritone to offer discordant harmony on Boombox Serenade, the whispered threat Say You Love Me Too from guest Clara Vinals on the song of the same name, the groaning strings on lead single You're So Cool or the horror movie soundtrack piano riff of Plucking Petals and Characters.
It's not all creeping menace. Despite its downtrodden lyrics ( "I'm the runt you were born to live with / We'll struggle pitifully along / Together"), Valentine is an infectious, gloriously pretty slice of pop that should be hailed as a modern Kiwi classic.
Sleepwalking is a record of sublime and sophisticated classic pop that conspires to lead you, willingly, into its dark night.
Artist: Jonathan Bree Album:Sleepwalking Label: Lil' Chief Records Verdict: You won't want to wake from this beautiful nightmare
