Ronjo V is the creation of two Austin musicians, Ryan Joseph and Keith Morgan; ostensibly, the name coming from the former. Their new EP, Ronjoism is a thesis of sorts—a treatise intended as an introductory statement designed to lay out what the artist is all about and the core of their sound; the sound in question itself an ethereal mix of dreamy indie pop and the alternative post-grunge of the mid-90’s.
Right from the off with “Dying Wish,” Joseph’s nasally shoegaze vocals float detached over an instrumental rawness of fuzzy distortion and acoustic guitars. There’s almost something psychedelic about the combination, and upon consideration, the band could have comfortably nestled themselves into the hazier aspects that came out of the Summer of Love.
Regardless, there remains something more nostalgically pensive about Ronjo V’s lyrics, especially on tracks like “Slo Motion,” like a bitter taste in the mouth. That feeling only intensifies as the EP progresses from the “Asleep”-like piano of the melancholy “A.G.L.S.” to the acoustic closer “Un-Friend.” Ronjoism is a heavier and more histrionic creation than all evidence first suggests, but the rewards and layers uncovered multiply manifold with each repeated listen.
