Fresh Picks: P.H.F.
P.H.F – Auckland, New Zealand.
P.H.F. (Perfect Hair Forever) hails from Auckland, New Zealand, and to be honest, is one of the more interesting projects we’ve featured on MF for a while now, which makes it perfect for another of our Fresh Picks.
This year, P.H.F has put out two records, Grind State and Soft. The former blends Garage Rock tinged Skate Punk and Synth-Pop through a garish Robocop filter.
(Editors Note – Grind State was self released in 2014, but again via Crystal Magic in 2015.
MS.)
Imagine, you’re in a Punk band but your Mum’s got this friend, who’s got this son, that plays the keyboard and the Mum’s think it’d be a really good idea if he joined your band… This is what that band would sound like, the kid with the keyboard digitally destructs the “Punk” and transports it to a sci-fi Tony Hawk land.
Grind State mutilates police sirens and gunfire with the easy breeze of synth ambience on entry to the “The Grind State”. ‘Problem’, is you filming the video for your “first hit single” and your skating through a dystopic virtual reality where your keyboard player and your guitarist are fused at the hip creating an all seeing music beast.
‘I.D.W’ has got a killer opening lead riff over constant crunching rhythm guitars, it’s a pop utopia in amongst the scum of the lower city of “The Grind State”. ‘Cry-on’, carries on with these Punk/Pop crossing- of-the-beam melody lollipops. In fact, the “pop rocks n’ roll” carries on all the way until ‘**Angel’ and ‘Cruiser’ which are much softer, leading us perfectly into Soft.
Soft was for a while, my go-to nap-time album alongside Lana Del Rey‘s Honeymoon. The latter I would listen to second, so by then I was usually asleep and it would be something that if I did get to ‘High By The Beach’ for example, could help me back to the land of nod. But anyway, whats important is that Soft could be YOUR new accompaniment to the land of dreams.
Soft is gorgeous in that, “I’m gonna break-up with you in this diner by the side of the road then drive off into the sunset and leave you with your cheeseburger and strawberry milkshake, that yes, that yes I did pay for“, sort of way.
Here P.H.F gets a little more Psychedelic Rock sounding, a little on the edges of Tame Impala with what they did on their newest LP, Currents. The mood of the album is laid back, it’s you leaving “The Grind State” mentally, physically and almost transcendently.
‘Lotion’ is more cleansing than Head & Shoulders shampoo, while ‘Mercedes Theme’ is more romantic sounding then all the M83 angst synths that sixteen “electro-heads” experience and ‘Evergreen’ is like popping bubblegum with your date under the oak tree.
‘Sometimes’, like on Loveless, is the highlight of Soft. It really captures the beautiful fatigue that love creates and the lethargy of sunbathing whilst grasping your brand new favourite bestselling paperback in the bid to catch the attention of someone, anyone, who will simply appreciate your tastes.
Instead however, it asks you is if thats the new P.H.F. you’re listening to and you answer with, “oh yeah, gem of the summer isn’t it…”, then they nod and walk away licking on their soft scoop ice cream.
So as the previous year has closed, let P.H.F take you for a wild gritty-garage Skate Punk ride through the harsh noon-time of “The Grind State” and then comfort you with those long seaside drives at midnight, with a bottle of Merlot along for the ride, to help take in those dark warm climate notes of chocolate and sex – let the memories of 2015 fade away.
- P.H.F on Facebook.
- Grind State – Click Here.
- Soft – Click Here.
- Crystal Magic can be found on – Facebook, Twitter, bandcamp and SoundCloud.
#StayFresh
