Jerry Paper is the internet experience brought to life by mastermind Lucas W. Nathan, who leans into charming absurdity under a genre he describes on his Bandcamp page as “11th dimension pop.” Blending MIDI sounds with catchy keyboard hooks, the L.A.-based songwriter has been creating heartwarming, outlandish pop for years, and has garnered an abounding online fan base in the process.
Nathan dives into the further reaches of the realm of eccentricity with his latest record Toon Time Raw! and doesn’t look back. Deviating from his more electronically centered pop with the help of BadBadNotGood, he grounds us in a kaleidoscopic, jazzy dissonance as he layers dozy keyboard over warm saxophone and roots songs in bossa nova rhythm (most notably in “Elastic Last Act”). Although the record seems to paint the primary colors of a simple, whimsical comic book, Nathan lyrically delves into heavier, complex existential issues. Toon Time Raw! is a strange and beautiful anomaly that requires an attentive ear and more than just one listen.
The album comes out June 17th on Bayonet Records and can be preordered via Bandcamp.