Jonah Lustig - New Religion

​Jonah Lustig

​New Religion
self-released; 2016

3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk
​

It’s a wonderful thing when an artist can combine experimentation with pop. The music can sound familiar but the approach is different. Jonah Lustig is an artist that is doing just that on his seven-song release entitled New Religion. His music could fall into the synth/pop category and you can hear influences as far ranging as The Beatles to Youth Lagoon. Lustig also points to Kanye West as an influence. This is apparent occasionally through the music but you won’t hear any rapping on this album. 

These songs are relatively short. He rarely eclipses the two-minute mark like on the opener “Everybody Edits.” “Everybody Edits” is Lustig at his best in terms of production and experimentation. The mix of disparate sounds work extremely well against his unique singing style. Lustig mentioned that the album is about a search for spirituality in the modern era. This starts to make sense with lines like “I’ve been out of line / Doing things that I never thought I’d do / I think about/ -Blue- / And the internet / The pace of things / The pieces turn and everybody edits.”

“Walls Of Sound” reminded me of something you might hear at a carnival if you had ingested psychedelic drugs a couple of hours prior. It’s trippy as if time is slowing down. “No Instructions” is a more melancholy attempt that works out fine. Lustig makes a declaration about his frustration with mundane routine that he doesn't have much hope for. Whatever perspective he is writing from this song from the protagonist doesn't seem to know how to get out of this rut. He sings, “I’m wearing thin I’m overworked / And nothing’s going to change / And nothing’s going to go my way.”

The second half of the album isn't quite as strong as the first. That being said there are still a number of inspired moments. The airy, triumph towards the end of “Grandiose Visions Of Holy Golden Structures” is unique. “What Do I Have To Do?” is a strong one between the slight moments of dissonance and a myriad of changes. 

​Lustig is a talent and I hope New Religion is just the beginning. I hope to hear him flesh out some of these ideas in the future and eventually write a four-minute song. This is a great start.

Become A Fan

Tweet