Recorded entirely in 2021, Perfect Worlds, the new album by San Francisco’s mysterious lo-fi pop legend Tony Jay, delivers an intimate record of thirteen dreamy, assured arrangements that further cements Tony Jay’s status as a dejected crooner of the quotidian par excellence. Drawing inspiration from failed relationships, lack of sleep, a bicycle injury, and depression, Tony Jay (headed by Flowertown/Sad Eyed Beatniks member and SF scene mainstay Michael Ramos) pairs catchy melodies and hushed vocals with ethereal instrumental tracks.
Studded with instant classics, Tony Jay’s new album encapsulates the isolation and loneliness of the past few years. “In a perfect world I’d find a place down in the basement,” begins the title track, and the refrain repeats, “You just can’t escape it.” Interspersed with otherworldly instrumental tracks that call to mind a machine struggling to work underwater and whale mating calls combined with droning synth, horns, chimes, this album also provides space for listeners to make new worlds of their own. Our times may be inescapable, but we’re fortunate to be able to wall ourselves in with fantasies of our own creation alongside Perfect Worlds.
Check out their latest single “Isolated Visions” below: