A thorough article and exhaustive interview by the incomparable Rick Moody."I want to propose a fine recent example of the gesamtkunstler, the total artist, in Paul de Jong, the cellist, composer, collagist, archivist, and former member of the band The Books.” - Rick Moody

the Rumpus

A Music Video That Takes Cut and Paste to a New Level'Hollywald' video premiere and interview” - Nathan Reese

New York Times T Magazine

It is the sound of someone at the halfway point of their life, looking forward and backward. In that, it's a quiet return to 2003's The Lemon of Pink. IF is patient and spacious, suggesting that de Jong has found solitude, if not peace, between the strings of his cello.”” - Nina Corcoran

Pitchfork

some of the most resonant and beautiful music of his career” - Andy Beta

NPR

Paul de Jong's solo project deserves to be explored and enjoyed as its own entity, but acts as a de facto successor to the Books, and manages to push the limits of the duo's previous outputs.”” - Scott Simpson

Exclaim

He’s flying solo these days, but his music retains his former band’s springy warmth, using found-sound flourishes to twist organic songs into more mystical creations.”” - Patrick Hosken

Stereogum

unsettling and uplifting at the same time”” - Misha Sesar

The Fader

The samples are deftly edited along with glitchy beats and acoustic instrumentation, particularly guitars, piano, cello, fiddle, and percussion… The album impressively demonstrates de Jong's accomplished musicianship as well has impeccable knack for sound design and mischievous sense of humor.”” - Paul Simpson

All Music Guide

In certain ways, IF will be both immediately recognizable and subtly surprising for fans of the Books. The restless tinkering, the counterintuitive genre dot connecting, and the piquant potpourri of vocal samples have all carried over. “” - Ian F. King

Stereo Subversion

Formerly one half the pop-duo the Books, Paul de Jong takes cues from his previous band and injects extremely graceful and sophisticated moments where violins and keys provide a folk foundation. Of course, things are rarely straightforward here, and the brief moments of calm melody break off into unusual guitar work, sound bites and bursts of chaotic jazz. Though de Jong is a cellist and makes use of that trade plenty here, he’s just as skilled at assembling field recordings and pasting them into his iconoclastic version of collage-pop sounds.” - Tom Haugen

New Noise Magazine