Album Review: Pluto Jonze - Eject

Young Sydneysider Lachlan Nicolson – aka Pluto Jonze – arrived on the scene a couple of years back in a flurry of colourful, catchy pop gems, with 2012's breakout single Plastic Bag In A Hurricane in particular doing copious rounds on the national broadcaster. Now that riff-laden, buzzy tune finds itself in good company on the personality de force's debut long-player Eject. These dozen indie-pop nuggets are a veritable billboard for all the polarising elements that make Pluto Jonze so undeniably charming: loss, good times, wide-eyed optimism blind-sided by pessimistic escapism – all to the tune of sunny, retrospective instrumentation and lush motifs.

Near impossible mouthful, Hispedangongonajelanguiro (Capiche?), makes unrestrained joy of all things odd, spouting gibberish lyric-wise on top of crunchy guitars and snappy, percussive sound matter. It all somehow evokes the Thin White Duke, apart from his dandy Beck-cum-Thurston Moore looks; no, it's an honest, carefree revelry in this quite unique lyric and vocal style. Punctuated with wails, Love The World Like A Child is innocent fun made all the more effective for the juxtaposing sentiment of the title track that soon follows it. Eject even sounds a bit Wings-ish, but it's not to be instantly embraced as an upbeat, sanguine guitar strummer; a way out is the only thing Pluto Jonze wants here and this is why Eject as an album is so rewarding.

You may think you'll know what to expect, but there's an equal amount that surprises. While there's nostalgia galore, making you feel as if you've always known these songs, it's above all an entry into the strange, new world of Pluto Jonze and you'd be a fool to ignore it.