| Last of the Lonely Gods | |
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| Studio album by | |
| Released | October 2024 |
Last of the Lonely Gods is the first solo album by Shihad guitarist and singer Jon Toogood. Released in October 2024 it peaked at No. 9 in New Zealand's albums chart, and at No. 2 on the chart of albums by New Zealand artists. [1] [2]
Played on acoustic guitar, the songs were inspired by years of what Toogood called "personal carnage". This included a 2021 COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne preventing him from seeing his mother before she died, a later lockdown in Wellington stranding him away from his wife and children while he lived with his sister and dying brother-in-law, and then a COVID infection leaving him with severe tinnitus that prevented him from sleeping and led to panic attacks. [3] [4]
The album's songwriting began after a cognitive behavioural therapist suggested that Toogood play guitar as a mindfulness exercise, which helped alleviate his tinnitus symptoms and anxiety. [5]
