Moruya, Australia’s Jake Schoer has been releasing music as Callistemon since 2019, and doing so with such humility that it’s easy to overlook the project. His Bandcamp tagline reads: ‘Exploring the human condition through lo-fi sonic experiments and melancholic yearnings.’ That’s certainly one way of putting it. I’d simply call it finger-picking guitar pop with a generous helping of samples, tape loops, and found sounds. Or perhaps finger-licking guitar pop, because Beginner’s Mind is packed with chef’s-kiss moments.

We love our music lo-fi here at Add To Wantlist, but even by our standards Schoer goes lo. At times it sounds as though these songs were recorded straight onto an old boombox. Somehow, that’s exactly what gives them their emotional pull. Strip away the hiss, tape wobble, and rough edges, and you’d probably lose half the beauty along with them.

Imagine stumbling across a forgotten box of Alex Chilton and Robert Pollard demo tapes in a dusty attic. That’s the kind of magic Beginner’s Mind taps into.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp