Phe - Nothing Else Is Real

 

 

Phe - Nothing Else Is Real
Self-released - October 2023
Stoner rock, blues, grunge
Rated: ****

The Netherlands' well-kept secret that is Phe should be well-kept no longer, if their newest album "Nothing Else Is Real" has anything to say about it. This is an immaculate, patient record, one that unfolds with dark grooves and spacious soundscapes that gently reel the listener in, and before you know it you're immersed til the end. Opener and hook-heavy track "Mirror The Ghost" kicks things off with crunching, deliciously desert-rock riffs, driving forward beneath the band's iconic, full-throated vocal delivery. Following cut "Saviour" brings in some stoner stomp with a touch of boogie, but in hindsight these first two tracks are almost red herrings,  the epic centerpiece that is "The Age Of The Misunderstood" hits. Over the course of 12 minutes, Phe craft a beautiful, longform stoner opus. Each note is given its due time, perfectly placed to build into a slight chug under soaring licks, while the drums are tight as can be, laying down a steady bedrock as the tune expands outwards and upwards into increasingly psychedelic territory. It'd be easy enough to write a whole review of just those 12 minutes, but Phe continue to deliver the goods with moody, muscular numbers "Broken Thoughts" and "We Are" to close out the album with added heft. "Nothing Else Is Real" is an accomplished, nuanced record that's made with a painstaking attention to detail, delivering a dark and magnificent vision of stoner rock. Bravo, Phe.

(Written by Kyle SB / Shastabeast)

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