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Pastels by candlelight, a spilled bottle, cigarettes burnt to the filter, the outline of a face being tanned by a flickering neon light, the vinyl debut from NYC's Phantasia is hard to get out of your head. A polytropos of black lace tinged beachfront kitsch melted together with the clever gloom of prime-era American indie, all topped by the wavering and haunting vocals of what could be likened to a baritone Siouxie Sioux. Elements of death rock, pure pop, punk, and rock and roll are all here fighting for space amongst lilting synths, reverb-soaked guitars, and muscular drumming. Recorded and mixed by Sasha Stroud, this captures both the spirit of their influences — the Feelies, Alaska y Dinarama, Bruce Springsteen, and Pylon — but holds nothing back in terms of what these songs are capable of sounding like in the 21st century. Each record comes in a jacket adorned with art by Phantasia's own Dylan Cameron.
Our take: Beach Impediment brings us the debut from this New York City band. I had no idea what to expect from Phantasia going in, and they caught my ear right away with their big melodies and unique atmosphere. Ghost Stories sounds to me like something out of the UK in the early 80s, its unstable mix of gloom and vivid color recalling early records by the Smiths, Modern English, and the most pop moments of the Cure. As with those bands, Phantasia is soaked in post-industrial soot and grime, but you can feel the 60s explosion of color deep below the surface, giving an optimistic armature to songs like “All the Flowers” and the instantly memorable closing track, “Leftoveryou.” I love when dourness is spiked with color and energy, and tracks like “Fate of the Martyr” hit that note perfectly, the upbeat, Motown-inflected rhythms propelling the murk similarly to early Smiths songs like “This Charming Man” and “Handsome Devil.” While you’ll see people throw around genre tags like “post-punk” and “death rock” in relation to Phantasia, I think there’s something a lot more interesting and unique going on with Ghost Stories.
Our take: Beach Impediment brings us the debut from this New York City band. I had no idea what to expect from Phantasia going in, and they caught my ear right away with their big melodies and unique atmosphere. Ghost Stories sounds to me like something out of the UK in the early 80s, its unstable mix of gloom and vivid color recalling early records by the Smiths, Modern English, and the most pop moments of the Cure. As with those bands, Phantasia is soaked in post-industrial soot and grime, but you can feel the 60s explosion of color deep below the surface, giving an optimistic armature to songs like “All the Flowers” and the instantly memorable closing track, “Leftoveryou.” I love when dourness is spiked with color and energy, and tracks like “Fate of the Martyr” hit that note perfectly, the upbeat, Motown-inflected rhythms propelling the murk similarly to early Smiths songs like “This Charming Man” and “Handsome Devil.” While you’ll see people throw around genre tags like “post-punk” and “death rock” in relation to Phantasia, I think there’s something a lot more interesting and unique going on with Ghost Stories.