It’s always nice when an artist with such an expansive creative output chooses to reflect on previous work and allows the listener a chance to peek inside their mind. Such is the case with Jake Thomson’s new single “Linger (Without a Cause).” As a producer and multi-instrumentalist, Thomson has spent much of his creative life exploring the boundaries of pop in Breathers, Wowser Bowser, An English Place, and Semicircle. Although the solo project was always waiting in the wings, it often didn’t get the time it deserved thanks to his packed schedule.

Now, with the encouragement of friends, the synth virtuoso decided to revisit some of his old song sketches and ideas resulting in the upcoming LP, Eclectic Ambien Works 2011-2015. It’s an ambitious project to be sure, but the single is a reminder that Thomson has a talent for corralling scattered thoughts and rhythms into fleshed-out jams which bubble with surprisingly linear energy.

This clarity is evident in the lush synths and passionate vocals which drive “Linger.” This combination along with the laissez–faire lyricisms take what could have been a simple pop gem and transport the dreamy track into slow jam Valhalla.

Though it remains to be seen what exactly the album will entail, the single falls well within the bounds of what we have grown to expect from Thomson’s work with Breathers. Still, there is an intimacy and presence to the track which takes the group’s quirkiness and fleshes it out into a mature pop song without losing the creative flourishes which make the three-piece such a vibrant ensemble.

According to Thomson, the upcoming album is “less of a single homogenous statement and more of a collection of very different styles of songs recording alone of the past few years.” As such, we can only hope to hear more of this glittery pop on the rest of the record, especially considering that Thomson lists R. Stevie Moore and Todd Rundgren as inspirations for the collection.

Eclectic Ambien Works 2011-2015 will be released on Nov. 22 via Skeleton Realm Records.

More Info
Bandcamp: jakethomson.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @jakethomsonatl