Joshua Epstein is best known as one half of the duo JR JR (formerly Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr), but don’t assume you know what his latest musical project will sound like. Using the pseudonym PJ Western, on his debut LP Here I Go, he builds on the indie pop from his day job with an eclectic mix of psychedelic, folk and even electronic music at times for a busy, sometimes confounding but often brilliant soundtrack.
The opening title track is pure AM radio soft pop that calls to mind folks like Andrew Gold (still widely underrated) and Harry Nilsson before building up to a more raucous closing. On the next song, “Hit Man,” he mines that same great nostalgic pop with some subtle nods to Jeff Lynne for one of the most satisfying songs on the record. By the time he gets to the jazzy “Can’t Relax,” he has subtly slid into different several genres. The record comes to an odd crossroads with the effects heavy “Human Machines,” (but after repeated listens the song start to grow on you). By the time you get to “Blah Blah Blah,” another standout track, Epstein has righted the ship.
Here I Go is another one of those rare silver linings from the pandemic, created when the world was shut down and bands were forced off the road. “Can you recall the malaise of redundant actions as time seemingly slowed to a halt? This was the state of things for a few years all across the world. The farther away from normalcy we got, we found ourselves longing for that which was previously considered mundane,” he said explaining the album and this song in particular. “‘Blah Blah Blah’ is about the desire to be bored at a party again. Not because we crave boredom, but because the privilege of being bored in an otherwise exciting setting is one, we still hopefully deserve.”
The record closes on “Chasing Me Away” another timeless sweet pop song that somehow manages to sound rooted in the ‘60s and ‘70s while still coming off as modern. Via his alter ego PJ Western, Epstein manages to make sincerity and earnestness sound cool again.
