The Phoney

Pairing with producer/multi-instrumentalist Doni Schroader, lo-fi cassette artist Rollin Hunt raised the bar for The Phoney. Recorded digitally, tape hiss is a distant memory on his Moniker Records debut, and instead, the release pairs indie folk and clean electronic pop. For his previous bedroom demo cassettes, there was a raw quality that made Hunt's music edgy, and now in this lavish setting, he croons in a near whisper while incorporating synthesized touches and choral passages with typical indie rock sounds. This results in a calm flavor that mirrors projects like Yacht and the Microphones. Hunt spent much of the year leading up to this album's completion working various jobs behind the scenes of Hollywood (for instance, as the location assistant for Man of Steel and the graphic designer for Fourplay), but apparently, he's a jack of all trades in the creative world, and it's a fair bet that he could quit his day job for a full-time career in the music industry. He has a knack for songwriting and knowing what type of orchestration can best complement a tune, while keeping it relatively sparse. With much of The Phoney forgoing a solid drum beat as a foundation, the mood is narcotic on songs like "Castle of Nothing" or the hazy glam ballads "You" and "Husband," before falling into even darker territory in the fractured organ drones of "Shooter" and "Beautiful Park." However, it's not all sullen. Other moments, like "In the Window" or "New Years," are warm and wistful enough to make them a potential fit for a rom-com movie trailer; a distinct possibility, considering Hunt's resourcefulness in the film industry.