PHOX are probably going to take over the world with their debut album because they’re infuriatingly impossible to dislike. No matter which direction you come at them, you’ll be greeted with more beauty than you’re able to withstand and will abort mission. Two years ago, I checked them out because one of my favorite bands forever (like BFF, except FBF), Pearl and the Beard, name-dropped them a few times on Twitter, and, as I’ve learned, if your favorite band loves another band then listen to that band. Sure enough, from the minute I pressed play, I knew I didn’t stand a chance against their sultry, trippy wiles. Soon after morphing into a kitten of smitten, I began writing for The Wild Honey Pie and PHOX was the first band I wrote/gushed about. I’m getting away from the subject, though, which is PHOX’s world domination via their debut album. Here’s why PHOX is, literally for lack of a better term, The Shit.
Bands either have chemistry or they don’t, and PHOX is made up of six kids who graduated together in Baraboo, Wisconsin, all moved away, then all moved back and decided to shack up together to pool their creative energies in a sort of chaotic, collaborative chem lab. The word “quirky” gets thrown around a lot, but believe me when I say PHOX’s home recordings (video and audio) define the term, as they’re magically bizarre while simultaneously some of the most beautiful sounds you’ve ever heard (see: their visual Confetti EP). Their debut album ever so slightly waters down their original psychedelia, but their personality bleeds through on every note. However, the sextet’s triple threat superpowers, chemistry, charisma, creative energy, are all secondary to their sound.
The band’s primary songwriter and also lead vocalist, Monica Martin, has the songwriting skill of Lucifer and the voice of a divinity. The remaining five members envelope her melodies with a smattering of instruments and harmonies, using warmth and color to fully convey the tone of the lyrics being sung. The arrangements are both playful and sentimental, as are the themes that range from heartbreak to lovesickness to devotion. Feelings run strong as Martin walks us through highs and lows with her smoky, emotive voice. All I know is that when I hear “Slow Motion”, I instinctively clap along mentally; when I listen to “Evil”, I smirk spitefully; and as I take in “Laura”, my heart drops into my belly. We feel everything, which is why we end up as a grinning puddle on the floor by the conclusion of PHOX.
PHOX’s debut marks them as a band with staying power. Their magnetic appeal, combined with their ability to craft imaginative folk pop, makes us sitting ducks and they the hunters. PHOX is an album of wit and whimsy that grows on you and eventually claims stake in your everyday. See what they did there? World takeover one spellbound human at a time.