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HERMIT, TRIPPIN', HIKIKOMORI, CARBON & SELECTED.

“Are your convictions so fragile that mine cannot stand in opposition to them? Is your God so illusory that the presence of my Devil reveals his insufficiency?” ― Marquis de Sade After letter number forty seven from the public administrator landed on Jean Koning’s doormat, he knew it was time to sell up and move on. The last and hardest belonging to let go was his beloved 1970s Fender amp, which he very reluctantly sold to clear his tax arrears and gas bill. While rattling around the house on his own, the sense of loss, the feeling of being left all alone and material heartache inspired him to write and record his album From The Hermit's Bedroom. A few months later, The Hermit was born and with it new incantations. At its core, the music remained both dark and ecstatic and continues to be reminiscent of such diverse influences as obscure literature, mathematics, drama, hikikomori and experimental theater. Koning channels a shadowy, minimalist psychedelica that unveils itself at its own pace through repetition and the resurrection of such classic themes as death, birth, rebirth, heartbreak, terrorism, social media, organized crime and identity theft. The part-time recluse sings the alternately narrative and mantra-like texts, pushing the music towards a shifting, droning, and heaving whole, allowing each instrument to speak with multiple voices and his voice to speak from the depths of multiple psyches.

The first single from the upcoming album FROM THE HERMIT'S BEDROOM, THE CAUSE OF ALL MY SCARS is out now! Koning has indicated that THE CAUSE OF ALL MY SCARS took direct inspiration from Alice Walker’s gut-wrenching Possessing The Secret Of Joy — a novel whose narrative revolves around the horrifically real practice of female genital mutilation. Never one to shy away from the topical, Koning succeeds again on what’s likely his most recognizable song by allowing the gravity of the music to carry the enormous weight of the topics discussed in the lyrics.

    

The second single taken from FROM THE HERMIT'S BEDROOM is called TRULY LOVE THE HUNT and will be released worldwide on January 19. TRULY LOVE THE HUNT was written as a silent reply by NOT the victims of bullying, but more so the person who is the bully. Not to investigate the how's and why's, but the side of action/reaction to which a lot of the persons who are bullies turn to. In #JK's hands, the song follows a case of sexual teenage assault and subsequent social media shaming.