I have mistakenly bought into the stereotype that people become rigid and inflexible as they age. For me personally, the opposite has been true. Yes, it’s a little harder for me to bend over and touch my toes, and sometimes my back aches for no apparent reason. But the most important muscle in my body—my brain1—feels more pliable and open than ever before.
Case in point: in the not too distant past, I would have dismissed the pop music on Lost in The Wonder, the new album from guitarist Cory Wong, as lightweight and frivolous. In a word, Lost in The Wonder sounds like a party. It’s upbeat and energetic, with simple harmonies, catchy melodies, and danceable grooves. There’s a surprising lack of depth.
Consider, for example, “Blame it on the Moon,” a deliciously funky tune with some impenetrably vapid lyrics:
‘Cause when you’re touching me / Oh-oh, baby it’s good enough / Baby is on the love song / Blame it on the love song / Slid it on the love / Blame it on the moon
What the fuck does that mean? No clue, but it made me do a little head-dance.
A lot of the record reeks of late 80s pop. Listen to “Afterglow” or “One Way Road”—or almost any of the other 10 tracks—and you might need to double check the calendar.2 Most are eminently skippable. But a few have the slightest bit of friction, just enough grit to keep your ear from gliding right over them unnoticed; songs like the titular “Lost in The Wonder,” “Roses Fade,” and what is undeniably the greatest song on the record, “Lisa Never Wanted To Be Famous.”
In the end, Wong adds little, if anything, new to the great, eternal conversation that musicians and composers have been a part of since the dawn of time. Lost in The Wonder is lightweight and frivolous. But I have matured enough not to dismiss it. For the turbulent times into which this record was birthed, a little bit of lightweight frivolity is a welcome distraction from the heavy hand of hatred gripping our collective throats.
Listen
What is “An Album a Day”?
Each day in 2026, I’m listening to an album that:
- I’ve never heard before
- Was released in the last six months (from the time of listening)