The first noise heard on Friendship, the debut full-length by Madison band PHOX, could have been any number of instruments. Instead, the group opted to open the album with an “Everyone good?” from one of its members. The track is 17 short seconds and the first in a series of interludes — dispersed in-between nearly every song — that tie the album together and keep the mood light and airy even when the tunes don’t necessarily make the listener feel that way.
Friendship has a homemade, handcrafted feel, and while the album is in no way “lo-fi,” the female-fronted vocals definitely dabble in a bit of fuzz and reverb — not that it’s needed. This girl can belt. I’m talking complete control over her vocal register. Monica Martin somehow delivers the fruitful melodies delicately and powerfully and really separates this album from the thick stack of other local acts.
Musically, at least on the cheerier tracks, PHOX sounds like a Freelance Whales who grew balls. Banjos, handclaps, finger picked acoustic guitars, and cheerful synths are all mainstays on the mid-section of Friendship. Songs like “Kingfisher,” “Nineteen Thirty-Six,” and “Shrinking Violets” feel nothing if not free and simply induce grinning. The heavier songs, however, such as “Sister,” “Dowry,” and “Laura,” tend to begin at an intimate decibel and by tracks’ end find themselves in a ginormous brass-buzz-and-fuzz tumble. Martin’s vocals effortlessly climb upwards and crawl downwards with every crash of the cymbals. These songs expertly flirt with the quiet/loud dynamic, and are where PHOX really find their footing.
The lyrics on Friendship tend to take a back seat to the melodies and music, at times being tricky to decipher due to the sheer loudness of the other instruments. Yet, even without the words, the emotions brought to the table on each song of Friendship are as easily read as, well, those of a friend you’ve had for a really, really long time. One of the clearer vocal performances on the album is the show stopping “Laura” which tells the familiar tale of self-doubt. However, the repetition of the honest, simple chorus “You can try and hide away / from all the things that people say / that you need to be OK / but you’ll just stay the same” in combination with the ever building instrumentation really makes this track pack a gut-busting punch. Clocking in at over seven minutes, “Laura” never wears out its welcome.
Yet the album doesn’t end with the devastating “Laura.” Instead, Friendship closes with another 17-second output. These short snippets of warped out chatter amongst bandmates and clanks and cranks on their instruments are simply goofy as hell. Upon first listen they may even seem out of place. However, the interludes sincerely and genuinely represent what Friendship (or friendship) is all about: being there for the highs, lows, and all that lies in between.
PHOX is set to unleash Friendship tomorrow, September 5, at the High Noon Saloon. To see what the band self describes as a “come join the cult kind of thing,” be 18 or older and show up at 8 PM. Following is a month-long tour in the neighboring states that make up the Midwest.