Listen: JoJo Hermann Compliments the Season with Two New Instrumentals, “Toy Factory” and “Pilgrim Hill”

JoJo Hermann has shared two new songs on his official website. The pianist, best known for his early ‘90s entry into Widespread Panic and his ongoing band membership, has delivered a pair of solo instrumental compositions: the holiday fixture “Toy Factory” and a winter embrace on “Pilgrim Hill.” The new releases trail the arrival of “Christmas at St. Louis,” “Curious Birds,” “50 Nights of Lights,” “Snowy Bridge,” “Skating Pond,” and “Almost Infinite.” All tracks are available on the musician’s official website. 

Both singles harken to Hermann’s relationship with the piano, thoughtful and emotive compositions that draw on scenes of winter. “Toy Factory” evokes a sense of holiday anticipation, building toward Christmas morning’s wails of childhood elation, ripped paper, and discarded bows. It’s the music you hope Santa plays in his workshop, timeless, radiant, and a piece that can play on repeat. 

“Pilgrim Hill” presents a cathartic sense of intimacy that hits the listener with each intentional press of the keys, causing a flutter in the heart. Whereas “Toy Factory” is relatively easy to listen to, “Pilgrim Hill” feels increasingly complex. The second track has a deliberate sense of chaos, like a busy park bustling with activity, blanketed in a sheet of snow. There’s a sense of haste to the delivery, not unlike a greased sled making its annual descent down the neighborhood hill. 

Both tracks carry a sense of reflection, the redundancy of each year’s looming winter, an annual reminder of death and rebirth of the seasons, instrumentally produced. “Toy Factory” and “Pilgram Hill” can be streamed on Hermann’s official website. 

The new songs come ahead of Hermann’s participation in Widespread Panic’s New Year’s concerts, Dec. 29-31 at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. All shows are sold out.