Pearly Gate Music

Zach Tillman, a Pacific Northwest singer and songwriter, conceived Pearly Gate Music as his own endeavor. The sibling of Josh Tillman, professionally known as Father John Misty, he had already established himself independently in Seattle’s music community by the time he launched solo output under the PGM name in 2010. Although his work echoes his older brother’s wry lyricism and command of 1970s pop conventions, his own songs tend toward greater emotional and sonic ambiguity. Converting his bedroom into a temporary studio, Tillman captured the project’s first album—a largely lo-fi affair—with assistance from his brother, centering the arrangements on Casio keyboards and acoustic guitars. Barsuk issued the self-titled collection in 2010. Shortly afterward, Tillman initiated its successor and forwarded several demos to the late Richard Swift, a producer and fellow pop provocateur who committed to overseeing the sessions. Immediately before production began, however, Tillman endured what he termed a “total mental breakdown,” pointing to the intense demands of frontman responsibilities among the contributing factors. He revived the effort years later in tandem with longtime friend and collaborator Daniel Hindman, who took the production reins. The outcome, Mainly Gestalt Pornography, displayed a more refined and polished sound while conveying a hard-won positivity; Bella Union released it in 2021.