Transmute by Phosphene | Album Review
Portland-based band Phosphene returns with their alternative sound on Transmute.
I have always been quite the fan of that creamy 90s alternative/shoegaze sound since my teen years. There is such a complexity to the dreamy feeling that the genre brings. I have noticed a revival of this sound in acts like Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail, and Cloakroom. Phosphene is another group you can add to that list. The band happened to fall in my lap after getting an impromptu message regarding their upcoming album Transmute. The trio (consisting of Rachel Frankel, Matt Hemmerich, and Kevin Kaw) have several projects under their belt spanning back to 2014. Prior interviews with the band had listed their sound between dream-pop, post-rock, and shoegaze. As a lover of the genres, I was immediately tempted to see how the band would tackle this sound. After listening through this record, I agree with this statement that band member Rachel Frankel gave to Big Sonic Heaven back in 2020:
“I think the name dream pop gets thrown around a little bit, and I do think there are bits of that, but as we’ve continued to develop our sound, it’s more of a post rock, vaguely shoegaze sound. We really have so many different influences from so many different genres that it makes it tricky.”
I really like the soft yet shadowy approach they have taken with this mix. There is a modern twist that brings something fresh to this sound without it falling into indie cliches.
The opening track “Umbra” really kicks off the ominous momentum. This grabbed me from the get go. Rachel’s haunting vocals call back to Hope Sandoval’s sound in Mazy Star. One of my favorite aspects about the song is the various textures that the guitar work brings. It’s dark yet has a glowing quality to it. This trembling energy really out the sense of sorrow as Rachel sings, “I won’t be myself again/ Never be myself again/ And I ever don’t bleed anything but blue.” This rolling burn captures the emotional state of a being shallowed by anxiety.
The lead single dropped from the album is the moody “Black Sheep”. Similar to the opening track, I really like the gritty alternative edge they give the song. While the mix of synths brings a warm, the bass and guitar narrow your surroundings giving a sense of urgency. Mix this with motion provided by the drums and you get loom melancholy that keeps approaching. This marries wonderfully with the song’s themes of depression and doubt. You really feel this gnashing pain of anxious turmoil in the lines, “Every summer that dog crept/ It made its way back in my seams it found new ways to make me bleed/ Never wanted more than what you sold me/ Fed me all the lore until it spread/ Laying on the floor, I felt it hold me/ Never had control of this old friend.” Rachel sells this caged defenselessness well in this cocktail.
“Levitation” has the most pointed rock energy of all the tracks on the record. coming off the oppressive sound of “Black Sheep”, this is a welcomed release of energy. The weight this gives to her need to shake this isolated feeling is palpable from start to finish. I think if you enjoyed some of the crunchier sounds that Snail Mail released on her first album, then you’ll quite like this track.
I begin to really hear the threads of shoegaze on “Jigsaw”. This song glows with a halo of multi-color light brought in by the plucked electric guitar coated in reverb alongside the wash of synth that gives light for all this to shimmer. There is a sense of loss surrounding a relationship that haunts this song. Frankel reaches back to memories around this person’s need to escape. My one complaint comes with the chorus. I feel the lines, “I don’t care if doesn’t make sense now/ I’m still missing that jigsaw,” feel a bit awkward to me. Because of this, I didn’t fully connect with this track.
“Wisp” brings back in that alternative edge. I get an almost Western vibe from the drier tones from the guitar work. We continue on around the themes of isolation and angst. Rachel’s voice adds a pained resentment to her words as she sings, “I watched you go ruin someone else’s life.” There is something about that sort of desert tone that really adds the needed grit to this track. It is one that has grown on me with each listen.
The titular track, “Transmute”, gives me a sense of Sonic Youth. Something about the harsher guitar work with bending notes really takes me back to some of the sounds off of Sonic Youth’s albums. That said, it has a real richness that comes with elements of dream pop and shoegaze. By the chorus, it feels much more like The Cranberries debut. There is a real bitterness to Frankel’s words, “Everything you say is true/ Until the day you’re caught/ I know no way out/ There’s no taming the shrew.” I really like the sonic evolution of this song from start to finish. The bright points really highlight her desperation for closure wonderfully.
The only song that really didn’t click with me is “Everything is Gone”. I appreciate the jaunty tone and the darker descending section in the early portion of the song, it failed to really grab me after that. I wish the song was a little more honed to either lean more into a dreamier or more alternative direction. If you are a fan of Laura Veirs's sound, I think you’ll adore the way this track sounds. Rachel’s voice alongside the more indie presentation of the instrumentals has a similarity to Veirs's work.
The album ends with the dream pop-oriented “Wandering”. Its soft sound melts over you from start to finish. I just think this song is a bit too long. Had it ended right before the piano section towards the end, I think it wouldn’t feel as drawn out. We close out the album with melancholic longing. I like the drama Rachel brings with the lines, “Don’t resuscitate/ I’ll never love again”. With all the angst seething throughout the project, this moment of softness gives dimension to the loneliness that she feels.
I really enjoyed what I heard from this project. What stood out the most to me about this album is how much the group leans into their alternative rock inspirations. Because of this, we get a much coarser sensation from the variety of dreamy sounds that run through this release. Compared to their prior release, Lotus Eater, I feel like this album has a bit more of an edge to it. While there were some tracks that didn’t work as well for me (“Jigsaw” and “Everything is Gone”), I really enjoyed my listen to this album from start to finish. I am happy to hear a more alternative swing in the band’s sound. Transmute just released on September 14th, 2023. My overall breakdown of the release:
Loved it: “Umbra”, “Black Sheep”, “Levitation”, “Wisp” & “Transmute”
Liked it: “Everything is Gone” &“Wandering”
Disliked it: “Jigsaw”
My overall rating: 7.5 out of 10.
