It seems like we've been caught in this phase of '90s grunge worship of the late emo revival for a bit. With acts like Rozwell Kid and Basement perfecting the art of taking the best bits of "Pinkerton" era Weezer and "In Utereo" Nirvana and transplanting them into the current punk scene as if the alternative movement never got derailed by early '00s nu-metal. But PHONY seems to be the latest group to be taking it a step further by not just reusing familiar sounds and arrangements but by taking the aesthetic of that lost era and utilizing contemporary song structure and innovative compositions to grow the sound rather than mimic it. There are definitely bits that lean heavily on their influences, but PHONY establishes immediately with the opening track "claustrophobic" that their sound is going to lead you into some unexpected places. A droning, wavy shoegaze guitar intro that sharpens into a harshly distored scream of a conclusion, and yet still feels anthemic at it's core pretty well embodies PHONY's sound. The record shifts seamlessly between a hazy disconnect of apathy and frenetic restless outbursts while retaining a power pop sing song quality with such well crafted hooks it's hard to believe this is their debut record. Their focus and ability to craft such a cohesive record start to finish make them sound like genre veterans and with this record they've definitely established their presence in a huge way.
