Sydney based underground-pop dreamer Pluto Jonze is a tricky artist to pin down. It’s now been seven years since the release of his debut album Eject, a collection of eclectic, progressive pop pieces, which included the album's groovy eponymous track that continues to be an incredibly popular fan-favourite of his. In 2014, Jonze released his bubbly and groovy followup, the Sucker EP - bursting with creativity like a modern Ween record or a cleanly produced take on the sprawling hypnagogic pop of Ariel Pink. Since then, Jonze has released multiple acclaimed albums as a member of power pop group Hey Geronimo, but as a solo act, only a small number of singles have sporadically dropped.

Taking us up to now - as the countdown to his long-awaited sophomore record Awe begins with the release of two brand new songs. The atmospheric and dreamy ‘Walk Off The Edge With Me’, and the more punchy and playful 'Kelsey in Corduroy’. Regarding the creation of Awe, Jonze explains,  “'Walk Off The Edge With Me’ is pretty explicitly about taking a leap into the unknown, so it feels like the right way to kick off. Writing and producing this new album has been at times an uncomfortable process for me, exploring a lot of new terrain, collaborating in new ways, and then REALLY focussing in on a specific sound. Whereas my previous releases have probably been in the ‘beautiful mess’ mould, I wanted this album to make a coherent statement”.

Both solo and with Hey Geronimo, Jonze has developed a penchant for anthemic hooks and addictive melodies. Embracing soaring vocals and simple, crunchy guitar riffs to create an 80’s stadium rock or 90’s brit-pop type sound and energy. Which fused with experimental synth embellishments and psychedelic soundscapes create something wholly unique and modern. 

This is felt in full force over the two tracks released. Firstly the A side, ‘Walk Off The Edge With Me’ is a dreamy, neo-psychedelic piece of progressive-pop music. With cloudy synthesisers swirling softly alongside hazy vocals, we’re lulled into an ethereal place that feels like the edge of the clouds, the edge of security, staring down and contemplating a “leap into the unknown”, as Jonze puts it. This feeling is further conveyed through the tracks equally dreamy visualiser which mimics this sentiment, placing our protagonist calmly on a cliffs edge with a cocktail in hand. The music builds and explodes as he exclaims “goodbye jealous shadow, trying to tie me to the ground”, launching us into the unknown, exposing the awe inspiringly beautiful and intimidating crashing waves and rocks that were always lying below.

The track’s hazy synth work and bright sunshine-pop styled vocals bring fellow Aussie psychedelic revivalists Tame Impala and Pond to mind, before Anna Davoll’s backing vocals enter midway through and elevate the track immediately, bringing a mysterious and sophisticated presence similar to Beach House’s Victoria Legrand. Her bridge sounding primed for the soundtrack of an Australian adaptation of James Bond. The cinematic nature of the track is pushed even further with the addition of a sinister orchestral layering for its crashing climax. Jonze’s ambitious arrangements are flawlessly brought to life with the assistance of elite collaborators, the track produced by Brendan Cox (Imogen Heap, Jadu Heart, Guy Sigsworth) and mastered by Leon Zervos (INXS, Crowded House, Midnight Oil).

Acknowledging Jonze’s intent to make an album that hones in on a sound and coherent statement, ’Kelsey in Corduroy’ both aligns with the trippy, introspective nature of ‘Walk Off The Edge With Me’ yet differs more-than-enough to highlight the range of his potential. An immediately striking contrast to the soft ambient synths on the preceding track, ’Kelsey in Corduroy’ opens with a clean, crunchy classic rock n roll guitar riff, which feels reminiscent of The Beatles’ later work, specifically John Lennon’s ‘I Found Out’ from 1970’s Plastic Ono Band. This riff holds the track together and pushes it forwards, even after being ambushed by a wild collection of spaced out synthesisers and airy electronic instruments. As found on his previous projects, the track highlights Jonze’s playful nature with quirky songwriting and intriguing structure, as hooks and instruments emerge and disappear seemingly at random. Highlighting his masterful creative vision, with each quirky option strangely flowing into a cohesive whole. 

In just two tracks, Pluto Jonze has established the release of his new record Awe as one of the more exciting dates on the calendar. Although these two tracks hint towards a collection of psychedelic power-pop filled with huge hooks, riffs and quirky songwriting, Jonze’s range shown within these six minutes of music make it very hard to predict what he might do over the course of an entire album.