The combination of folk and electronic music isn’t exactly new (I remember discovering Circulus’s “My Body is Made of Sunlight” as a teen and seeing them dressed up in Ren faire garb), but doing it tastefully is tricky. Judah and the Lion perhaps brough this into the mainstream with “Take It All Back,” but even this felt like a gimmick. And maybe the combination will sound gimmicky by necessity. But when I discovered Only Twin, I was captivated by how banjo and synths and pedal steel and emo vocals could work together without feeling like it was a marketing stunt.

So, picture me surprised to discover Bedon. “u don’t know” mixes acoustic folk instrumentation with synthesizers, guitar, programming, and vocal processing, and it’s an instant hit. It also happens to have one of the best music videos I’ve seen in quite some time. And while the video definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously, the song just slaps.

I guess Bedon’s latest album, i love you i’ll die, is as good a place as any to get acquainted with this Nashville-based songwriter. His sound is an eclectic take on the pop genre, sometimes leaning toward almost-blown-out vocal performances and sometimes anchored in nostalgic production (see ‘lilac’ for a track that has the sort of fatigued feeling of 90s radio alternative mixed with the kind of bedroom production only possible in our modern day).

It’s clear that the the Bedon shares some common DNA with other modern Nashville pop architects, including the fellow mononymed Pagu. Bedon can be seen dancing in the video of the title track. But his quirky personality doesn’t undermine the fact he’s just a good songwriter.

“5 years” reflects on moving and the feelings of displacement and frustration with broken expectations. Vocals warp and layer, straddling the line between synthetic and organic. It’s not until the end that the song starts to take form, with guitar and glittery synth lines coming in.

But “5 years” noticeably lacks one critical element of the Bedon formula: drums. Even in their most simple form, like on “red windmill northern lights,” it’s clear that Bedon’s songs thrive off rhythmic backbone. The drums themselves might be bit-crushed in one moment, dry and acoustic moments later. The fills are invigorating, and the interplay between the drums and bass is definitely a highlight, even within a style where most of the focus tends to be on vocals and lead riffs. “12:34” is a great example of everything tying together.

Bedon’s unrestrained approach to songwriting might not be for everyone admittedly. ‘belong’ is a bit noisy and slow compared to its compatriots. ‘splinter’ is a bit more accessible, but its ballad role and programmed reverb drums does make it stand out a bit. These tracks aren’t bad on their own, but they’re not how Bedon captured my attention. Thankfully, the album is mostly hit after hit, with the standouts for me being “5 years,” “lilac,” “u don’t know,” “12:34,” “belong,” and the title track. That’s definitely a long list of highlights proportional to the album’s total length, but trust me, these songs are all worth a listen.

Bedon hasn’t invited his brand of cross-genre pop by any stretch, but his contributions to this sometimes-maximalist bedroom pop niche cannot be understand. And while not all of his songs verge on folk the same way “u don’t know” does, even what he does offer on that front more than delivers. i love you i’ll die is a strong album, and while it’s not without a couple weak points, you can rest assured Bedon has already found his way onto my playlists.