Jonjo Feather/ Is Or Ok

Jonjo Feather
Is or Ok
(Cargo Records)

An ex-art school kid making lo-fi pop that embraces the distortion pedal with the open arms of a loving parent. Yeah, that’s exactly what’s missing at the moment. We definitely need one of those to fill the gaping void where about a billion bands in the last six months definitely don’t reside.
But, though Jonjo Feather’s brand of fuzzy stoner pop is so in vogue at the moment it probably is actually in Vogue, you can’t deny that ‘Is Or Ok’ is actually a pretty phenomenal album. With the awkwardness of Beck, the slacker vibe of Girls and the kind of hazy yet dark ethereality that instants allies itself to a penchant for the shoegaze side of life, and Feather manages to craft ten tracks that both weave their way around your consciousness like a potent but pleasant fog and still have a canny knack for a hook.
‘Dark Candy’ provides an almost disorientating, spine-tingling lull that’s so unremittingly bleak it’d be hard to deal with if it wasn’t so fucking brilliant, whilst ‘Hypnotise Me’ is all grinding basslines and filthy, Josh Homme-esque purring vocals. Later, ‘Little Spark’s nonchalant hand claps and cooing backing vocals show Feather can turn his hand to pretty much anything with relatively assured ease. It’s the kind of album that lends itself to a million and one slight comparisons but easily transcends the limits of mere affiliation; though Jonjo Feather may find himself initially lumped in with the pack, it won’t be long until he proves himself as something very special indeed.