Last of the Lonely Gods sees Jon Toogood explore his country corners, carving out a boundary-pushing collection.
It’s amazing to think that Jon Toogood has been winning over audiences for close to 40 years now. Having caught his first break with Shihad in the early 90’s, the last few decades have seen Toogood establish himself as one of New Zealand’s most prolific songwriters, with his previous efforts in Shihad and Ashani-Al-Banat inspired supergroup, The Adults, earning him 2x Double Platinum records, and 5x Gold-certified albums in New Zealand and Australia alone. Yet, somehow, 2024 marks the first-ever solo effort in Toogood’s catalogue.
Label: Warner Music Australia
Release: Out Now
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An album of self-discovery, Last of the Lonely Gods sees the multi-platinum artist venturing into his most surprising territory yet, alternative country. As introduced on opener ‘Lost In My Hometown’, which quickly steps away from Toogood’s rock roots, to instead ignite his vision through orchestral elements, delicate string harmonies and slow-waltz balladry.
But while Lonely Gods stylistically cuts its teeth on country/folk soundscapes, lifelong fans will be relieved to hear that vocally, Toogood still sounds pretty bang on to Shihad’s 1999 release, The General Electric, with tracks like ‘Shouldn’t Leave It Like That’ and ‘Swallow Song’ subtly giving a nod to his punk-rock roots through the use of elongated notes and nasally vocal cadences.
Although the stripped-back nature of Lonely Gods does mean that Toogood no longer has the freedom to hide behind walls of distortion, highlighting fairly well-worn lyricism that, at times, feels safer than a Jonas Brothers song in Camp Rock (“It’s just us against the world”).
Still, it’s refreshing to hear Toogood pushing the boundaries of his songwriting 35 years later.
Give it a listen here.
