Jon The Guilt is a bit mysterious. His social media profiles only feature one photo of himself that pops up from time to time, leaving his listeners to wonder what he’s really all about. This type of approach may or may not be based in any kind of marketing strategy, but it does yield results. Basically, he lets his engaging music speak for itself, and the conversation is just getting started. Jon The Guilt has now released his latest song “Gold,” via a lyric video.

After years of fronting a punk band called Money Paper Hearts, Jon The Guilt entered a bit of a musical hiatus. He started a family and moved out to Long Island, but about two years ago, he got the itch to start creating again. With no pressure, no limitations, or any set agenda, he started writing and recording his first ever batch of solo material, which he began sharing at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

The first taste of his output came in the form of a hazy heartland rocker called “Sycophant American,” which was followed soon after by the tense and somewhat funky “F.O.R.GI.V.E.” Then, just like a pitcher changes speeds and works his way around the strike zone, Jon The Guilt served up a much different sounding, but just as captivating track in “Caroline” – his refined take on a polished, piano-tinged pop ballad. He finished off the year with even more variety: the inward looking “Northern/Southerner,” the wistful “We’re Going Somewhere Else?!?,” and a jolly holiday tune called “Christmas in RVC 2020.” As Jon The Guilt described, he’s “kind of all over the place and I really enjoy it. I love all kinds of music and I wanted to get away from being just a punk rocker.” Diversity is undoubtedly his strength.

In 2021, Jon The Guilt aims to build off the momentum of a whirlwind 2020 with the release of his best work yet, an EP entitled Night Prowler. It features the previously released “F.O.R.G.IV.E.,” and several stunning new tracks that add even more colors to his growing sonic pallete, including two strategically placed instrumentals, “Desired Places” and “Replicant 2023.” Songs like “Tv Eyes” possess the kind of noodly dissonance of a mid-period Sonic Youth guitar manifesto, while “Wave Goodbye To Time” has a misty new wave sheen that gets some added muscle from a series of slick saxophone solos and guest vocals from Hannah Winkler. He allows his musical imagination to run wild on the EP’s anchoring track and lead single, “GOLD,” an epic rocker that sounds like a hybrid of Dinosaur Jr. and ELO. And of course, a 2021 release wouldn’t be complete without a song inspired by the events of the last year, and the EP’s closer, “WW3,” does just that, describing how anxiety-inducing our uncertain future can be against an eerie synth-fueled backdrop.

Jon The Guilt took his time with the tracks on Night Prowler, recording them one by one with engineer Oscar Albis Rodriguez at Studio G in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. His patience and attention to detail paid dividends. This new batch of songs sounds sharp and refined, and if it’s a sign of things to come, then we’re in for quite the ride.