Written from headlines scanned or news stories scrolled, he creates an aural scrapbook that reverberates with tape loops and guitar FXs. An England puffed up into absurdity by political outrage and infighting all fed these songs.
Gonzalez strikes a balance between stripped back arrangements-just Jose's intimate vocal and exquisite nylon string guitar work-and tracks driven by groovy drum machine loops and other percussive elements.
"I named the band after myself, but the fact is that this is a complete collaboration," Pond says. "Everyone I've worked with lives in my head and in these songs."