It all began in Sunset Park. A diverse neighborhood with a breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline, the hilly Brooklyn neighborhood was home to talented musician Brian Bonz. As the city around him went through multiple incarnations, Bonz began writing and recording songs with his older brother’s equipment, and eventually booking his own shows — all while still in high school. The first record of seven songs, “Sunday Theory” (2003), was self-released and was followed shortly by SUSAN THE BOYSCOUT EP (2004, Electric Frog).

A solo-acoustic project that evolved to include an eclectic group of people, Brian Bonz and The Dot Hongs has been recognized as “the best of Brooklyn’s experimental rock scene” (KEXP) creating “wistful, intensely precious indie pop” (Time Out). Drawing influence from a far-reaching variety of genres and musicians including Sam Cooke, Bjork and Broken Social Scene, the group embodies an indie-rock persona without becoming bound by it.

In 2007, Bonz began writing new songs that would become FROM SUMI TO JAPAN. By that summer the band had begun recording at Seaside Lounge in Sunset Park, accompanied by a newly solidified lineup as well as session musicians who played with TV on the Radio, Arcade Fire and Tom Waits. With friend Chris Bracco (Kevin Devine) at the helm, mixing continued at his Buckingham-Nicks studio, allowing the group a brief refuge and change of scenery. The unusual opportunity to explore allowed FSTJ to evolve fully, and gave the group a chance to transform its songwriting both structurally and sonically.

Filled with stories of distance and escape, the new release is a musical journal, an ode to the surreal value of youth. While some might think that growing up in the city affords anonymity, eventually you begin to run into the same people when you pay to get onto the train. What the record really means is outgrowing certain things, friendships and relationships. It’s about traveling and adventure and being apart from what you grew up in and seeing things from a different perspective.

Each song is a narrative. Whether the story is about bringing your girlfriend home to meet the parents, traveling with a married couple, or watching kids arrive at your house late at night to fight, these are the true tales of Bonz’s Brooklyn. In reality, these are the chronicles of an American life.

Beyond singer/songwriter acoustics, FSTJ’s variety of sound becomes the album’s standout asset; by incorporating brass sections and the unique hammered dulcimer, Bonz’s sparkling pop becomes draped in a colorful, melodic atmosphere. Tracks like “Judy & The Alpha Queen” and “Dee The Dinosaur” layer guitars over Bonz’s mystical vocals to create the band’s own brand of enchanting pop, while “Christa McCauliffe’s Cacophony (Reprise)” and “Goodnight, Captain Revelstoke” showcase the underlying experimental nature of the record.

Brian Bonz & The Dot Hongs have played with a number of acts — including Kevin Devine, Do Make Say Think, Jesse Lacey (Brand New), Travis Morrison (Dismemberment Plan), Roger Miller (Mission of Burma) and Joan of Arc — and are currently preparing for a tour with Nightmare of You.