Kevin Bronson on February 7th, 2017

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Oklahoma native Josh Onstott has been a constant member of beloved indie-rockers Other Lives, and the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, now based in L.A., brings the same metaphysical gravitas to his solo work, recently unveiled under the name New Mystics. After debuting last year with the pastoral single “Sparrows,” New Mystics today followed up with “Modern,” a weighty reflection on the loss of innocence.

“As a kid everyone told me to smile, even when I didn’t have anything to smile about,” Onstott says of “Modern.” “The loss of youthful upbringing/religion, and trying to reinvent the way to be as a human being, but sort of being met with this weathered 21st-century world where your dreams fail, because ‘The Modern Age Is Over’ — meaning that your generation has been fucked.”

Onstott says he imagines his solo venture as “an alternate reality, or from somewhere daring and truthful that’s out of this world.” He adds: “Rather than sit here and trudge through an autobiographical version of myself, I’d rather think of a way to imagine a parallel world where normalcy doesn’t exist. … Things are upside down, tilted, floating beyond and above boundaries, like the middle finger and smile you receive from a trespassing punk who just jumped your fence. Imagine a place where there are no wrong-doings or rules. A portal or tunnel, so to speak. A world where creative freedom is at your side like a ghost who’s your best friend — you can follow him anywhere.”

There’s more New Mystics on the horizon, including a collaboration with Noah McBeth — aka NoMBe — titled “Can’t Catch Me,” which has been picked by Pharrell for use in his forthcoming HBO documentary series.

||| Stream: “Modern” and “Sparrows”

||| Live: New Mystics play a free show Feb. 21 at the Bootleg Theater.