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Artist Name: Terminally Phil
Who Are They: New solo project from multi-instrumentalist and Athens music fixture Phillip Brantley (Palace Doctor, Modern Skirts, Drew Beskin, Tedo Stone, Blue Blood).
Members
Philip Brantley
Sounds Like: Written and recorded in his apartment via an iPhone, the introductory tracks from Terminally Phil are ramshackle and loose, channeling the genre-hopping adventurism of early Beck. Throughout each effervescent cut, Brantley shifts effortlessly between melody, noise, and bumping grooves, mixing blown-out pop hooks with warm guitars and a kind of homey psychedelia. The rough immediacy of the production offers plenty of lo-fi grit, but it’s the easygoing vibes that really seal the deal.
Releases: The project’s debut EP, Feb’ 21, was released on Mar. 12. A follow-up full length has been recorded and will come out later this year.
Mandatory Listening: The bustling rhythms and self-deprecating lyrics that propel “Putz” are central to what makes Terminally Phil so intriguing. It’s impossible to know how much of the track to take seriously and how much is tongue-in-cheek; what matters is how joyously buoyant it all sounds. “Putz” positively radiates with openness. Personal insecurities are laid bare (“I thought I was too sharp to catch some feelings“) and signals are crossed (“It’s so confusing, maybe that’s the way you like it“) while the narrator stumbles to find their footing in a budding relationship. It’s a bummer of a jam, but look around and you’ll find nary a gray cloud in sight. Sometimes the best way to find healing is to dance through the pain.
More Info
Bandcamp: terminallyphil.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @terminallyphilmusic
Instagram: @terminallyphilmusic