Toni Pons - The First Of Many To Come

Toni Pons

​The First Of Many To Come
self-released; 2017

​3.7 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Toni Pons is an artist located in Spain who recently released The First Of Many To Come. The album contains fourteen songs of what you could consider experimental songs that still contain a number of memorable melodies. I thought the album felt a bit scattered conceptually and stylistically and I was having a hard time viewing it as one piece of art as I ran through the tracks. I suppose you could make the argument that all the songs are experimental but after that it's harder to hear how the puzzle pieces go together.

​The experimental nature of the album is ultimately what made this album rewarding to listen to. There are hooks on occasion but they are far and in between. He opens with “There’s a sign” which has a laid back jazz appeal with some psychedelic but is also one of the more straightforward numbers.

The vibe and energy shifts with the percussion heavy “Dither” which already shoots the album in a new direction. There are vocal samples with what sounds like digital horns and organs. I was somewhat reminded of the under appreciated duo The Books. We then submerge in depths of murky atmosphere with “Individuationis” which had a fantastic driving beat and distorted vocals. “It's time” sounds like you are watching a children's program during the tail end of an acid trip while “Solar Dog” has some catchy melodies not unlike a band like Deerhunter.

One of the coolest and inventive grooves was on “The Runner's High.” “Locura Chillial” could be considered the centerpiece. The vibe is very chill but not much changes in the six minutes and because of that it felt like an ambient piece. “Relax” is about as avant garde as it gets and would work in a David Lynch film.

Artists like Motion Sickness of Time Travel and Mountains have been doing similar things on their albums. One thing I encourage Pons to do that I hear with the aforementioned artists is to let the songs breathe a bit more. There are some extremely interesting ideas here that I feel get cut short and don't get fully explored. These aren't pop songs with hooks that you will be singing in the shower. There are so many ideas on this album that I felt overwhelmed. I would have preferred that five to eight of his best and fully explored possibilities.

Overall, there is a great amount of potential here. I was impressed with a number of the tracks and his ability to combine disparate elements on a single song.

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