“We can both lean into being neurotic”: Ex-Moaning man Sean Solomon details Jarvis Taveniere-produced solo album

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The Los Angeles musician and animator will release the eight-track LP on 17 April via ANTI- Records and today shares its first single, “Remember.” The track is accompanied by a self-made video that repurposes old family home movies, which he digitised and recontextualised for the visual.

“I’ve noticed at shows people really connect with this song and it reminds them of their own families,” Solomon says of the track. “I think it’s hard for most people to have empathy for their parents because they are supposed to serve this purpose in our lives where they take care of us and know what’s right or wrong… This song is about trying to remember the good.”

The World Is Not Good Enough marks a new chapter following the indefinite hiatus of Solomon’s previous band, Moaning, who released two albums on Sub Pop. Before that, he was a member of the folk-punk outfit Moses Campbell, cutting his teeth playing at local coffee shops and famed DIY LA venue The Smell.

“Working with Sean felt brotherly,” producer Taveniere says. “We’re similar people; we can both lean into being neurotic or anxious, so it was fun to balance each other out.” The sound of The World Is Not Good Enough draws on the influences of 90s and early 2000s alternative artists such as Daniel Johnston, Elliott Smith and Nirvana. The record also features contributions by fellow Sub Pop veteran Shannon Lay, who provides backing vocals and guitar.

The album artwork, a hand-drawn illustration by Solomon, is a nod to the children’s books of Richard Scarry and a reflection of the cognitive dissonance that runs through the record.

Solomon will support the release with a European tour supporting Unknown Mortal Orchestra, which is set to begin tomorrow and includes UK dates between 26-30 March in Glasgow, Manchester, Sheffield and London. For live shows, Solomon performs alongside a vintage TV set that plays his animations from a VHS tape.