Phantom Wave - Wilds
PHANTOM WAVE IMPRESSES ON ‘WILDS’
New York City-based rock outfit Phantom Wave just dropped their debut LP, Wilds, a 12-track collection of music informed by ‘90s alt-rock, shoegaze, and metal elements.
Phantom Wave
Made up Ian Carpenter (guitar, vocals) and Rachel Fischer (drums), Phantom Wave got together in 2017, after an encounter in Brooklyn. Performing frequently throughout NYC and Brooklyn prior to the pandemic, during the cessation of live music they laid down tracks for Wilds. Since then, they’ve continued writing new material, remained COVID conscious (masks, etc.), and devoured lots of burritos.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Rachel’s day job is psychiatrist, while at night she masquerades as a drummer. On his part, Ian is an artist who lived abroad, returning to the U.S. during the ‘90s. He likes guitars and goat stew, along with burritos.
Phantom Wave cites their influences as Beach House, Deer Hunter, Ringo Deathstarr, Weezer, DIIV, Slowdive, Built to Spill, Ride and Dinosaur Jr., and Nothing.
Wilds begins with “Anterograde,” which opens on jangly guitars atop a finessed, crisp rhythm, followed by Ian’s new wave inflected voice, a lush tenor at once clipped and melodious. Reminiscent of The Cure crossed with Depeche Mode, “Anterograde” projects potent colors and dynamic flavors of shoegaze tinted with new wave textures.
“Glower” commences on a flashing, sparking wall-of-sound, pumping out galvanizing shoegaze textures.
From a purely subjective viewpoint, entry points include “Amarinthine,” blending dark dream-pop with tinges of garage rock fuzziness, while Ian’s perfect-for-alt-pop music vocals imbue the tune with throaty savors.
“Billows” starts off on a cool tapping rhythm, followed by luminous guitars flowing into a tasty, trembling shoegaze melody. When the guitars ramp up, the tune surges on shimmering waves of dazzling, fuzzed-out coloration.
“High Dive” travels on creamy surfaces of gleaming guitars rolling into a shining dream-pop tune, vaguely reminiscent of The Cranberries, lustrous and burnished with glistening hues. “Glower” commences on a flashing, sparking wall-of-sound, pumping out galvanizing shoegaze textures.
A personal favorite, “Valhalla” thrums with heady glowing guitars pushing out platinum breakers of sonic energy, while Ian’s voice blends hints of Tom Petty-like timbres with new wave intonations.
On Wilds, Phantom Wave dispenses iridescent shoegaze, at times muscular, at other times soft and flickering, but always bewitching. This is an excellent album.
