Phosphene – Transmute

Dream Pop | Post Punk

70%

 

It’s said that there’s a point where science becomes so advanced that it becomes indistinguishable from magic. For most people I think that point is closer than we care to admit. I’d wager if the average person were suddenly dropped off a few hundred years in the past, they would be at a loss to explain what electricity is, or how it’s made, or how it powers our various gadgets. We don’t spare much thought about how our cars get us to work, the process by which our emails get sent, what the microwave does to cook our lunch etc. It may as well be magic for all we know, it doesn’t matter – what matters is that it works. 

“Transmutation”, simply put, means changing one thing into another. Yet while the word does have proper scientific applications, it’s more commonly associated with alchemy. The quest to turn lead into gold. Taking something dark, heavy and poisonous, and turning it into something bright, beautiful and worth cherishing. It’s a fitting metaphor for how Portland dream pop duo Phosphene’s new album came into being. Most of the tracks on Transmute were written and recorded during the pandemic. A time not only of great uncertainty, loss and isolation, but one which widened the cracks in society and often brought out the worst in people. A time when science was practically decried as witchcraft. And yet, despite the dark insidious cloud that hangs so heavily over its creation, the end result is the work of a band who are shimmering more brilliantly than ever. 

There’s certainly still darkness in this record; the post punk influences that crept in to the band’s sound on 2020’s Lotus Eaters can still be found. ‘Black Sheep’ has a haunting gothic air to it alongside some of Matt Hemmerich’s most impressive drum work, while the riffs on ‘Levitation’ spring out with surprising menace and venom. You never get too lost in it however without some light cutting a clear path through the shadows. Opening track ‘Umbra’ is a prime example, as the sweet summery guitar lines in the chorus ring out above the menacing hum beneath.

In these lighter moments, the pair have never sounded more assured. Rachel Frankel’s vocals in particular feel like they take centre stage this time around, rather than act as another instrument in the wall of sound. The dreamy haze of their early work shifts in focus, with a greater emphasis placed on string sounds and vocals melodies. The change brings a surprising amount of warmth and serenity to the record. No longer the mysterious aura of morning mist, but the first rays of sun cutting through it to warm your weary bones. The interplay between the guitar and synths at the centre of ‘Everyone is Gone’ really feels like it takes you on a journey, the stripped back expanse of ‘Jigsaw’ shines as a gorgeous change of pace, while closing number ‘Wandering’ pairs sorrowful lyrics with a lovingly wistful and nostalgic arrangement to great effect to end the record on a high. 

Transmute isn’t the specific tweak to the formula that I was expecting to find, but it feels like progress all the same. Besides the beats occasionally veering from hypnotic into overly repetitive territory, it does seem like the duo have hit their stride. It will be interesting to see how this warmer, more melody driven incarnation of Phosphene will develop the sound on future releases. I don’t know what alchemical process the band used to turn such a restricting and isolating period into a creative spark, nor can I properly explain this record’s exquisite tonal interplay of light and dark. Science or magic, makes no difference, what matters is that it works.