Wyrd Psearch

by Pheromoans

Overview

English post-punk band the Pheromoans capture a precise mood on their album Wyrd Psearch, one of quiet dissatisfaction and a dry, restless feeling somewhere between melancholy and frustration. It's not exactly punk rock angst or indie pop introversion, but a meditative state that calls on both. Wyrd Psearch is the band's 13th full-length, arriving after almost 20 years of development that's seen them exploring ragged garage punk as well as experiments with minimal electronics and spoken word delivery over form-eluding noise. There are bits of these past leanings included here as well, in particular on "Father Austin," a tune with an instrumental built around blurry FM synthesizer sounds and repetitive guitar lines that serve as a foundation for vocalist Russell Walker's understated mumbling. The song has echoes of Prefab Sprout, the Fall, and the Swell Maps all at once, and it's one of the smoother moments on the album. Standout tracks like "Downtown" and "Faith in the Future" are a little more driving and dissonant, evoking the kind of cloudy emotional vagueness that Josef K or June Brides excelled at, but using uncomfortable guitars and hesitating bass lines to push the songs forward. Some of the best parts of these songs happen when it's unclear if all the bandmembers have completely figured out their parts. The album's range is wide but subtle, never breaking out into full-power rocking, which makes the odd lounge pop of "Compound Shock" or the surf-toned "The Inland Road" stand out less from relative ragers like "Twibbon Wife." While Wyrd Psearch can be distant to the point of deadpan, it's also a display of deeply thoughtful songwriting that emotes powerfully in spite of itself. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	03/22/2024
Label:	Upset The Rhythm
UPC:	0828887116016
Rank:	79469

Tracks

1. A Brash Child
2. Downtown
3. Father Austin
4. The Inland Road
5. 00's Wyrking
6. Twibbon Wife
7. Faith in the Future
8. It's a Little Bit Different
9. General Mojo
10. Compound Shock
11. Cropped to Death
12. Pop-Up Companion

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Pheromoans   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Henry Holmes   Composer
Scott Reeve   Composer
Dan Bolger   Composer
James Tranmer   Mixing,Composer,Engineer
Russell Walker   Composer