Veneer

Jose Gonzalez has made four albums in a solo career spanning 19-plus years, including the much-lauded 2023 release Local Valley. Gonzalez describes his latest as “similar to my other solo albums in sound and spirit, a natural continuation of the styles I’ve been adding through the years both solo and with Junip… It’s more outward looking than my earlier works, but no less personal. On the contrary, I feel more comfortable than ever saying that this album reflects me and my thoughts right now.”

And from this modest but rich discography comes success on an international level, with UK platinum records, gold in Sweden, Australia and New Zealand, and many sold-out performances at huge venues and amphitheaters seating thousands.

At Gonzalez’s shows, sometimes the air is so still you could hear a pin drop. His quiet vocals and the artistry of his fingerpicking seem to stop time. Every song beautifully crafted, almost breathtaking. Then comes the realization of the provocative mirror he brilliantly holds up before humanity. It’s not confrontational, but no less direct or compelling in every nuance.

Jose Gonzalez is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Veneer with a deluxe rerelease of the album, including remastered mixes of each track, and his previously unreleased live album recorded in Göteborg in 2003. And Austin is the second-to-last stop on his celebratory tour with a show tonight, Monday April 29, at the Paramount Theater. Doors at 7 p.m.