This week’s pop rock is all about craft over bombast. Warm harmonies, clever arrangements and a real love of a proper tune run through both tracks, songs that reward a close listen and prove there’s still magic in getting the small details exactly right.
Ho Jo Fro – When Did You Knock?
Ho Jo Fro’s “When Did You Knock?” is a lovely piece of chamber folk-pop: no bass, no drums, just cello, rhythmic knocks and two voices making that absence feel wonderfully full.
“When Did You Knock?” deliberately strips out both bass guitar and drums, replacing the low end with the clear talents of cellist Brianna Tam, whose soundtrack credits give her playing a particular cinematic gravity. The rhythmic pulse comes instead from literal knocking sounds created by vocalist Paul Derringer and guitarist/engineer Tim Ryan, an audible metaphor built directly into the arrangement. Backing vocals from Kleidi Buroz of Caracas add a third voice that underlines the emotional exposure in the lyric: “Watch me dive into your pit of despair. And when I do, will I find you?” The result is a wonderful, quirky piece that really captures a mood wonderfully.
Ho Jo Fro is the recording alter ego of Paul Derringer, formerly Paul R Johnson, based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Derringer is one of four co-hosts of Derringer Discoveries, a global music podcast now in its sixth year, which has shaped his ear for what makes a song worth attention. His collaborators here are spread across California and Venezuela, assembled remotely around a track that required exactly the right hands for each part. We really love this, and I hope there’s more up Ho Jo Fro’s sleeve. A great single.
Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends – Happy People Won’t Hear
“Happy People Won’t Hear” is a gorgeous slice of Beatles-esque power pop joy from Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends
This is a new version of a 2024 single. With parts of the vocals re-recorded and the whole thing remixed and remastered, we’re unsure how it compares to the original. But it’s definitely great. Legendary David Myhr of the Merrymakers co-produces, and he’s responsible for the wonderful Beach Boys-style backing vocals and a quirky little piano part in the coda that I absolutely love. It’s melodic Britpop-tinged power pop done properly, all warm harmonies and craft, with some very tasty drums (played by Andreas Quincy Dahlbäck). A warm-hearted, beautifully produced gem.
Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends is the solo project of Alien Friend, who in another life played guitar and sang in the Swedish band Redmoon. Despite being permanently confused about the band name, we’ve been following along for a while. And honestly? It’s been a joy. Working out of Stockholm, he trades in the kind of melodic, harmony-rich pop rock that owes a clear debt to the Beatles and the Beach Boys. But there’s more that enough here to show how they’re in their own lane too. A great single.