Bomethius is the solo project of Dallas-based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Jonathan Hodges. A capable pianist, guitarist, and vocalist, Hodges has also studied the violin since he was 3 years old. With Bomethius, he draws from his classical training for a mischievous brand of baroque pop that echoes the sounds of Andrew Bird, Elliott Smith, and Randy Newman. Developing the character of the songwriter’s complicated alter ego, Bomethius doubles as a vehicle for channeling the frank, existential audits of a disenchanted young man plagued by alienation and shame. 

Hodges’ first release as Bomethius, Intimatitudes (2017) showcased the songwriter’s tortured wit and impressive command of his instruments to chronicle the internal turmoil of an earnest youth’s coming of age. Another spry meditation on selfhood and doubt, his sophomore record As Roses (2018) achieved a tighter, more refined sound through superior songcraft, vocals, and piano and guitar work. 

Exploring a range of styles from blues and jazz to minimalism and chamber rock, Sweet Nothings (2019) followed. His strongest and most mature effort to date, Sweet Nothings is Bomethius’ stirring anthem to his own manic strain of indifference — at turns exalted and heartbreaking — tempered by restless obsessions with home, memory, and time. Dubbed “a folk masterpiece hiding in plain sight” by Atwood Magazine, the album earned further acclaim from The Album Effect podcast, which praised its “incredibly beautiful music.” 

Later that year, Bomethius released the single “Tornados in Dallas” days after twisters tore through his Texas hometown. A sincere folk ballad with a simple, repetitive structure recalling the early recordings of Paul Simon and Leonard Cohen, the song celebrates the mystery and power of disasters, which destroy lives even as they bind people together. 

Bomethius’ two forthcoming projects, both slated for release in 2020, include a fourth solo effort, Seasons of Limbo, and inadiquit, a collaboration with Dave Hodges, his uncle. 

Hodges graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2019 with a bachelor of music degree in violin performance. His former teachers include Marla Feeney, Alexander Serafimov, Ivan Ženatý, Chee-Yun Kim, and Diane Kitzman.