Brothertiger

Collecting a handful of singles released over the past year and a half, plus several unheard tracks, 'Brothertiger' sees John Jagos, a.k.a. Brothertiger, moving through his chillwave roots and into the refined glitz of sophisti-pop, a UK-born microgenre that owes its ’80s and ’90s heyday to key releases by groups like Prefab Sprout and Scritti Politti. Brothertiger’s take on the style is pure escapism — immaculately engineered, retro-leaning songs for romantic vagabonds and urbane daydreamers alike. It might be the most impressive set of songs that Jagos has ever made. Jagos has released four full-lengths under the Brothertiger alias, a figure that doesn’t even account for multiple EPs, a Tears For Fears cover album, or his four-volume series of livestreamed improvisations called Fundamentals. Still, Jagos decided to give his newest album the self-titled treatment, a move typically reserved for an artist’s debut project. After spending time with the record’s maximalist soundscapes, and after hearing Jagos discuss the deeply personal creativity that fueled the production, it’s easy to understand his thinking: the Brothertiger LP is a testament to Jagos’ technical gifts, a polished culmination of his ambitious experiments and nostalgic obsessions. But it’s also an introduction to a playful new era for a songwriter whose synthpop has often skewed broody and introspective.