Phoria
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Phoria

Brighton, England, United Kingdom | Established. Jan 01, 2010 | INDIE

Brighton, England, United Kingdom | INDIE
Established on Jan, 2010
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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Little Dragon & Phoria @ Coalition"

'...Check them out, their post-rocky scapes are worth every minute of your time' - 2PM Visuals


"Little Dragon w/ Phoria @ Coaltion"

'...with buzz Brighton band Phoria in support - their textured, almost glacial soundscapes are where Sigur Rós meets Radiohead.' - Latest 7


"Dan Lucas speaks out"

‘…One of the best bands I've ever heard: Phoria… really are something else… Imagine it sounding a bit like Elbow meets Coldplay meets Sunny Day Real Estate. It's dark, beautiful and very very awesome!’ - Dan Lucas-Producer


"Phoria - Volition"

Alternative five piece Phoria have released their much anticipated debut album Volition. An eleven song suite that simultaneously reflects on the band's beginnings and process while laying the foundation for future sounds. We open on a 2015 single ('Melatonin') and a 2014 EP cut ('Red'). The first is a stirring soundscape that has the celestial properties of The War On Drugs with the electronic momentum of Jon Hopkins and M83 sauntering between rumbling artificial tones and gentler, organic guitar notes. 'Red' brings sense to the Sigur Rós comparisons as Trewin Howard's vocal melds harmoniously with every elemental layer of this expansive track. The warm piano keys, artificial voiceover, and luxuriously composed strings balance each other spectacularly and create an altogether engaging six minutes of music.

For those fans who have been patiently awaiting this record there is new and original music here presented in a suite of sorts as 'Mass' and 'Loss' bookend a glorious vocal interlude 'By The Salt' offering ethereal interruption from the artificially enhanced. The first part of this trilogy is a looped R&B-tinged number that evokes thoughts of James Blake's eponymous debut. We are lead along its electronic backbone to a poignant crescendo of synth, piano, and vocal layering. 'Loss' is dramatic, expansive and altogether gorgeous likened to an arctic landscape, impossibly big yet moving at a pace best described as glacial. A symphonic arrangement that would have found a home on Vulnicura gives way courteously to an Aphex Twin 'Windowlicker' breakdown before the string led emotion stirs again and lifts us to dizzying new heights, stood atop the same frozen field looking across the fjords in complete awe.

2016 single 'Evolve' anchors the album nicely with pop sensibilities and a Metronomy flavour demonstrating the abilities of this band and their progression as a unit complete with sophisticated flourishes of recorded dialogue and an off centre guitar hook. Their breakout single of sorts, 'Emanate', sounds just as curiously brooding as when we first heard it in 2014, immediately captivated by the sparseness of the production, the introspective delivery, and the refined approach to the genre. The reclusive first three minutes enhance its momentous outro even more so.

The pace and style of Volition matches the expectation of its creation; each track has been well considered and older cuts have been carefully selected in order to enhance the LP as an entity of work. Howard's vocal has the breathy qualities of Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Elena Tonra making this gigantic album feel effortlessly intimate. New tracks 'Yourself Still' and 'Loss' demonstrate a band constantly challenging themselves, the former marking a triumphant career apogee. The connections and shared experiences of the band members feed into its design and creation, there is a cohesion in sound and vision with each element working in blissful accord.

Rating: 8.5/10 - The 405


"Phoria: "Red""

As the well of adulthood deepens with time, it’s pretty rare to maintain a connection with people from pre-school, let alone be great friends. I’m lucky if I get a happy birthday message on Facebook from nearly all the people I knew before I hit double figures. Phoria must have wrapped their relationship in a stronghold of friendship bracelets then, because three of them have been playing together since the age of six.

The feeling of time passed is something that transcends through their music. We’ve got the premiere of their new track “Red”, which stretches across buoyant piano crescendos, clutching to retain a sense of clarity on a moment long forgotten. The track is taken from the bands debut EP Bloodworks, set for release via Akira Records on April 29th. Take a listen below. - Noisey


"Phoria - Volition"

In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Massive Attack introduced the world to a new version of electronic music. Their version of trip hop was magical and mystifying at the same time, having that rare ability to be able to take over people’s minds and emotions. In the 2000s, M-83 took electronic music to different cinematic spectrums – from immensely personal music to exploring soundscapes that seemed to only exist in the cosmos. This decade has witnessed the rise of emotive electronica and indietronica. And while there have been many groups who have created some stirring music (for example, Maribou State and Mt. Wolf), the 2010s belong to Phoria.

Their first two EPs, 2013’s Bloodworks and 2014’s Display, were beautiful records, and songs like “The Red”, “Efforttobreathe”, and remixes of “Emanate” made them darlings of the blogosphere and risers on the Hype Machine charts. Now with the release of their debut album, Volition, Phoria should become more than just an internet sensation.

Volition is stunning, an absolute emotional roller coaster from start to finish. It is easy to understand why it took two years for the Brighton-based five-piece to complete their debut, as every single detail has been given the utmost attention and the production is refined and masterful. Every note, every vocal component, every lyric, every instrumental texture has been attended to and nothing feels out of place. With the precision of a surgeon and the steely aim of an assassin, Phoria hits every mark, including piercing a hole through our hearts with their visceral and emotional electronica.

Volition, though, begins with a warm touch, as “Melatonin” shimmers with a Toro y Moi and Tycho grace. The song eases you into the sonic wonderland of Phoria, one that gleans with soothing electronic, vibrant synths, and Trewin Howard’s enchanting vocals. “Red”, however, is the introduction to Phoria’s sentimental and at times mournful world, akin to the grace and beauty of Rhye. This soulful, delicate number is minimalist in its quality, yet it is proof that simplicity can be emotionally powerful. “Everything Beta” follows and offers a stirring and nearly uplifting number. This hypnotic number reverberates with the icy coolness of Maribou State, offering us a momentary break of what is to come.



And what awaits are songs that take us to the emotional abyss and back, subsuming us with soundscapes that are engrossing, compelling, and stunning. “Mass” offers a taste of what is to come and provides the perfect entry point into the album’s soul – “Loss”, which redefines the meaning of breathtaking and heartbreaking. The song is the person who yearns for the lost of loved one and realizing that she will never come back. The dramatic build highlighted by the soaring instrumentation and production work plus Howard’s vocals will bring you to your knees, leave your mouth agape, and having you wanting more. It is easily one of the most beautiful songs of the year.

“Loss” is the start of four superb songs. “Evolve” and “Undone” slightly pick up the tempo, offering a reprieve from the intensity of the previous songs. At the same time, the mournfulness and the sense of memory as heard on”Loss” still permeate in the two tracks, where that same sense of desperation and urgency can be felt. The bookend of this great collection is the brilliant “Emanate”, the same song that was released nearly two years ago. For three minutes, “Emanate” comes across as a subdue number much like “Red”, but then the explosive climax arrives, which is simply mind-blowing and radiates with the cosmic power of Explosions in the Sky.

The album’s penultimate track, “Saving Us a Riot”, is a departure from the rest of the album, where the band minimizes the electronics and synths in favor of a dream-folk sound that intersects Bon Iver and Elliott Smith. “Yourself Still” closes the album with a similar approach as “Loss” and “Emanate” – slow, melodic beginning before dramatically escalating into a tidal wave of sound. In this case, the ending is symphonic in its quality, which is an apt way to end an epic, emotional 50-minute journey about life, its losses, and its sacrifices.

We purposely do not give out ratings because how do you quantify any piece of art? Bu if we gave out ratings on a 1 to 10 scale, Volition would come extremely close to a perfect 10 because Phoria have created a masterful piece of emotive and cinematic perfection and an album that is among the most beautiful to come out in a decade.

Volition is out now via X Novo Records. Purchase it on iTunes (UK | US | CAN) and Amazon (UK | US).

Phoria are Seryn Burden (drums), Tim Douglas (bass/synth), Jeb Hardwick (guitar), Trewin Howard (vocals/composition/ production/electronics), and Ed Sanderson (piano/synth).

Follow Phoria at: Website | Facebook | In - The Revue


Discography

Debut EP - 'Yourself Still' - August 2010

more tracks can be found on myspace;

www.myspace.com/phoriamusic

Phoria have over an abundance of demos/ideas waiting to be brought to life.

Photos

Bio

PHORIA is a unique 5-piece band from Brighton, with influences ranging from Radiohead and Elbow, to Sigur Ros and Cinematic Orchestra, producing varied, emotionally charged music.

The band believe that they are at their best when playing live, and have recently been seen supporting brit-pop veterans Dodgy, Gorillaz collaborators Little Dragon, Nordic Giants and up-and-coming band A Genuine Freakshow. The band were also invited to perform at the Playgroup and Godsplash festivals during summer 2010.

When playing at Lewisham’s Dirty South, Phoria caught the attention of producer Dan Lucas. He felt the band’s material and performance was so strong that he offered his time for free so the band could record their debut E.P. 'Yourself Still' at Anchor Baby studios in the Kent countryside.

In August 2010, PHORIA released the anticipated E.P. 'Yourself Still' as a pay-what-you-want download available at:http://www.phoria.bandcamp.com/. They are working on securing a wider release of the material with a view to making a full-length record, and are also looking to tour more extensively.

Band Members