Beautifully shot by friend and director Andrew Hebert,  the “Perfume” video is a testament to the haunting ecstasy of love.  In Pollari’s own words: “The house is empty, but the memories are speaking. And love lingers on.” Expressing the giddy reverie of love’s first blush, where Pollari’s voice soars as if lifted to new altitudes by lush baroque swells,  “Perfume” perfectly encapsulates the rapture of new romance. “I wrote this song seconds after staring into my then-lover’s eyes, when I had absolute certainty that my every molecule was being re-arranged by loving. From that disorder came elation.”

A musician, actor, director, producer and multi-instrumentalist,  “I’ll Be Romance”burrows into the minutiae of the sweeping, universal subject of the record’s title.  Weaving genres such as blues,  Americana and soul with a folkish introspection as well as exploratory synth experiments,  the  album is grounded by Pollari’s authorial voice which can dazzle, shifting with a performer’s instinct for characterization, with vocals that move from a grave bellow to a skybourne coo.

“I’ll Be Romance” was preceded by three singles; with classic songwriting DNA in its veins, “Aletheia” creates a folk-inspired kaleidoscope of memory, hope, and passion.  The dream-like intimacy of “Efforts Of Love” and the swaggering blues of lead single “So Close” further revealed the breadth and scope of the record.

With the bulk of the album’s songs written when Pollari was 25, the record makes a shrine of the heart-bursting bliss, torturous confusion, and deep introspection brought on by the kind of love that can arguably only exist in your early 20s, a time when perhaps you’re not so wise to (or cynical of) the dating world. He wrote the album’s lyrics in the midst of a formative relationship with an ex-boyfriend; the couple regularly spent time in the bohemia-steeped surroundings of Laurel Canyon, a short drive from Pollari’s LA home.

Produced by longtime collaborator Theo Karon (Mavis Staples, Julia Holter, Foxygen, Idlewild, MNDSGN, Kiefer, Kamasi Washington, and Angel Olsen) at their LA studio Hotel Earth, Pollari set about building cavernous spaces for the songs to live in, turning his intimate demos (performed on an acoustic guitar that belonged to Elliott Smith) into the majestic, tactile soundscapes of the final record. Musicians included drummer Elizabeth Goodfellow (Boygenius, Iron & Wine) and guitarist Steven Van Betten (Fell Runner).  It was a new way of working for Pollari, who was used to making songs in his bedroom, but the approach wound up to be the catalyst for these songs to take on a full-fledged new life.

As a classically trained pianist and self-taught guitarist, “I’ll Be Romance” unites Pollari’s melophilial instincts with his wider passions for art, literature, and cinema. Beyond his music making,  Pollari is a multi-disciplinary artist also known for his acting work, taking leading roles in television shows and movies such as American Crime, Love, Simon, The Inbetweeners and the Apple TV series Sugar which aired in April.