Vienna has long been hailed as a truly creative capital. Every record that we get from the Austrian city tends to embrace the leftfield side of things, music that’s rather oblique and peculiar, yet always relatable and meaningful. We feel that such a description also applies to Pol Tonin’s latest record, ‘New Home’. A Vienna-born multi-disciplinary artist and an especially gifted photographer and musician, Daniel Pabst has just unveiled a stunningly nuanced and wholesome album, a body of work that’s organic and vibrant, but also expansive and never obvious.
If a great deal of the aural material in ‘New Home’ emerges from folk-like introspection and melancholic guitars, the record also carries a certain aleatory character, especially when it comes to the soundscapes and electronic bits that give the album a deeply eclectic personality. The moods can change at any moment, as ‘Dear Father’ eloquently showcases. Initially a tender, quiet song, the track then jumps into guitar-coded abstraction and distorted grittiness. This is a constant tension throughout the project, as Pol Tonin seeks to balance his many influences and states of mind.
In particular, ‘New Home’ came at a time of profound change for Pabst, including the joyful news of his wife’s pregnancy. Speaking about the cathartic consequences of such a life-changing event, Pol Tonin explains: “I understood that I had to come to terms with old wounds, to get rid of old luggage, to become a good father for my kid. So my songs turned very personal. I decided to combine my experience in improvised music with my expertise in writing songs. And the result is the most authentic work I have ever done.”
Recommended! Discover ‘New Home’ is out now via Protomaterial Records: