:: Jona Byron - Extinct Hearts

Jona Byron

When you listen to Melbourne artist Jona Byron’s new EP Extinct Hearts you are left asking just one question… why on earth isn’t this guy a star already? This is a terrific album that reminds you just how good some musicians are and is also the kind you have on high rotation…simply because you can’t stop listening to it. There simply isn’t a weak track on this EP. The track ‘Extinct Hearts’ will quickly warm itself to fans of Ben Lee and the great melody you find here leads into another smooth melody with ‘Joan Of Arc’, and you quickly start to realise that you have discovered a very talented artist here indeed. The smoothness continues on ‘Beautiful Bird’, a track that reminds the listener of Jason Mraz while Byron’s great songwriting talents are there for all to see on ‘Glass Jaws’ (which features Augie March’s bass player, Edmondo Ammendola). But the best track on this EP is the beautiful ‘Arm Yourself’ a track so good that it could be destined to become a classic. This is the kind of track you play your grandkids when you are trying to prove how good music was in our time. ‘Duck Shooting’ shows a creative side to Byron as does his re-working of the Dylan classic ‘The Times They Are A Changin’’. Byron not only makes this song his own but also delivers the strong anti-war message in a way never heard before. This is a stunning EP that hopefully will put Byron on the map. It is impossible to fault and I can guarantee that I will be listening to it for years to come.