J Fernandez Bewitches With ‘Common Sense’

Hypnotic pop with a psychedelic pstreak...

Chicago's J Fernandez stands alone.

A songwriter blessed with innate originality, he takes 60s psych-pop influences – Zombies, Left Banke, early Pink Floyd – and chews them up, forging something new in the process.

His debut solo LP was a delight, rightly lauded by anyone who came into its path, while the follow up promises to be something special.

New album 'Occasional Din' will be released on November 9th, matching sunshine melodies with lyrics that dwell on a kind of offbeat pessimism.

New cut 'Common Sense' leads the way, and its gorgeous melody masks lyrical word-play that never quite settles down.

The line "Only the time wears me out, I grind my teeth down" he says, :comes from my dentist recommending that I wear a mouth guard at night because I'd been grinding and clenching my teeth, slowly wearing them down".

Slightly baroque in feel, its hypnotic atmosphere recalls those prime Broadcast cuts, but re-framed for a guitar pop setting.

He explains: "The Clavinet was recorded in the basement of a stranger I met on Craigslist. The basement seemed normal but part of me was still thinking: I should probably get this done before they decide to lock the door. I managed to record all the keys parts in one take."

Tune in now.

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