Tobias Jesso Jr. - Hollywood

It’s official: Tobias Jesso Jr. is a star. Don’t worry – the Vancouver singer-songwriter hasn’t miraculously been condensed into a burning sphere of plasma – and nor, in the conventional sense, has he blown-up in the pop world and become an overnight sensation. The second option would of course be wonderful, and will certainly be wished upon many other burning balls of light to happen; but from now on, Tobias Jesso Jr. will always be something sparkling, stellar and galactically good to those who listen to him. ‘Just a Dream’ and ‘True Love’ laid the cosmic groundwork, harking back to the simple yet beautiful piano-and-man that Lennon did so well, and crafting melodies that made hearts ache so damn much Gaviscon sales went through the roof in alternative-music hotbeds worldwide.

The icing on the Victoria Sponge of cakey/music goodness, however, is now ‘Hollywood’. More polished and slick than his previous tracks due to outstanding production from Chet “JR” White, it still retains the piercing poignancy and emotional effect of his older material, while injecting fantastic new nuances such as sprinklings of sax and pattering bass drums. Lyrically, it’s fantastic – dealing with dreams of big-screen failure in a direct yet hard-hitting way – while prolonged moments of silence give the track significant breathing space and a reflective nature. Perhaps it would be delirious to see Tobias Jesso Jr. as an imminent superstar; but on the strength of tracks such as ‘Hollywood’, it wouldn’t be one ounce undeserved to see his name in lights.