Hear Paul de Jong’s New Single “This Is Who I Am”

March 9th, 2015

Nina Corcoran

On April 28, Paul de Jong will drop his debut LP, IF, via Temporary Residence. Pre-orders are ongoing here. De Jong, who was one half of experimental duo The Books back in the 2000s, can work his cello through and through with ease, digging the bow into its strings to pull out some silver, liquid magic that feels strangely familiar. Though The Books are long gone, Paul de Jong’s return to the scene marks a revival of The Lemon of Pink style of playing. New single “This Is Who I Am” confirms that return to sound.

Collage-pop marks its return on “This Is Who I Am”. Warm tones and looped organic sounds whirr in the background while Jungle Green calls out “I curse the day you ever made me” over and over again. Unlike lead single “Auction Block”, this song claws its way through anxious neurosis and sticky nostalgia. De Jong plays with detachment and reassembly, pulling us through an identity crisis as relived through pieced together memories. It grows in hopes of overwhelming as each second passes. Come the end, we’re jolted awake to remember where we are: hovering in our own body, self-aware, and responsible for what got us there.

Give it a listen below (via Stereogum):