Forced Witness

Yet another gem in the Australian sonic wave hitting the U.S.: Alex Cameron. The man and his main collaborator, saxophonist Rob Molloy, have been making the rounds for some time, but it wasn’t until last year when Secretly Canadian rereleased 2014’s Jumping the Shark that folks here in the States really took notice. Now Cameron comes with his second offering, Forced Witness, a hilarious and dark examination of romance and the online world. Produced by Jonathan Rado (Foxygen) and with a few special guests like Angel Olsen, Cameron creates a top-notch pop ride. There’s good old 1980s synth on the quick-tongued “Country Figs,” and a swaying surf-rock feel in “True Lies,” in which Cameron questions the validity of online encounters as he sings: “There’s this woman on the Internet/even if she’s some Nigerian guy.” And throughout, there’s Molloy, grounding the songs with lean and mean sax lines. Bonus tip: The social media updates, both from Cameron himself and Molloy, are something to behold.