Brian Bonz - Misophonia (2015)

Brooklyn-based musician Brian Bonz is set to unleash his latest LP Misophonia next week, but Exclaim! is giving you the chance to hear the whole thing, right now.

The record marks the third full-length effort from Bonz and his backing band the Major Crimes, and it was made thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign. Bonz and his guitarist Michael Strandberg produced the album themselves, enlisting additional help from Chris Bracco on production and mixing duties, ultimately achieving "the record we wanted to make."

The album's title refers to a neurological condition that results in a hatred of sound. "We'd continually be interrupted by passing forklifts on the street and would have to wait until they stopped," Bonz explained in a statement. "One day I decided to quickly open a window and I held out a mic to capture the aggravated sound of the machinery; we wound up manipulating it and included it on the record. For this record, I wanted to do things the 'wrong' way — methods that weren't perfect and didn't follow certain rules audio professionals swear by."

Bonz found a way to resourcefully spin the aggravating outside noise into a sound that should elicit anything but hatred. From the shimmery indie pop vibe of "The Man from Munich" to the hip-hop-infused "Hustling from Every Edge of the City" to dramatic, electro-tinged numbers like "Moonstruck," there's nothing but delightful sonic deliveries on Misophonia. ~ By Sarah Murphy