On the approach of their new album, "#2", Phases talk about their busy year, working with new producer and the excitement of touring with Arcade Fire.
Phases, the blues rock trio, who bring a new life and energy to rock on their new album, (album name), come from Camden, London, which is where we find the lead singer, Alexi Jenkins. Despite the success of their debut, there is still an unease about her presence. It is clear that Phases still aren't comfortablewith all the hype that has built over the past year, and they seem unanaware of how successful they could be: "When we were recording songs in Johnny's apartment and performing in local pubs to about ten people each night, to people who didn't understnd why we wanted to be part of band, not one of us realised how quickly we would spring up into the limelight.", says Alexis. The success of the band has overwhelmed Phases, it all came at once Alexis states, "It just seemed to click and everything just came together for the band. We've had an extremely hectic year, but we've loved every minute of it!".
Phases were founded by Alexis herself, she met Johnny, the lead guitarist of the band, when they both started the same school. Both Alexis and Johnny knew they wanted to create music very early on, this realisation being caused by the long conversations they had about their similar music tastes. "We were both as passionate about music as one another, and loved all the same bands, and so one day just decided to start a band. We were always the quiet kids in school. We would be playing music all day indoors, whilst every other kid our age were out socialising.". Music had obviously been a big part of their lives, even back then, however, they both went seperate ways when they decided to go to university. The band didn't stay apart for long though, as they both realised that making music was what they wanted to do all along. The bond between them was created when rebelling against the strictness and traditionality of music within the grammar school. The band allowed them to push music in new directions. This time inspirations grew from their previous grunge rock sound, where they recruited Mark Thomas, now drummer of the band. Alexis explains how "Mark definately brought a lot to the band, definately in terms of it's sound. Being new to the band, he was eager to experiment with different sounds and concepts, which ultimately helped in finding the overall sound of Phases today.
Phases have definately come a long way since the early days of their career spent playing to people who didn't appreciate what they were doing, however it seems worth it as they are now a well recognized band for the fans of the alternative/ underground scene. The sound developed by Mark, has now been further developed by the addition of new producer, Danger Mouse, creating a more maturer sounding record. Alexis explains how they came to work with him: "We were in the studio, as was he at the time, and overheard some of our demos. He said he would love to work with us, and we jumped at the chance! he was also currently working with The Black Keys at the time, which we are all huge fans of, and seeing the success they'd had, it seemed too good an oppurtunity to turn down."
"We were proud of our debut, but we knew we could push our ideas and sound further". It is obvious that Phases knew what they wanted to achieve on this record, and the addition of Danger Mouse has definately worked in their favour. Stand out tracks include, "I got you", "Indigo" and "Invisible" which create the core basis of the album, bringing in nostalgic sounds with layers of blues infused guitar. The influence of this album is evident with the pure sense of nostalgia you get from just the first listen which is fundamental in such an experimental record.
"#2" has made Phases a great contender for best album of 2011, with the nomination of 'Best Breakthrough Artist'. To add to such hype, Phases have also been added to BBC sound of 2012. With all this already behind the band, they have recently been booked to support Arcade Fire on their upcoming UK tour. This has made them one step closer to bringing phases huge amounts of popularity, and seeing their potential on their second album, they have a long road ahead of them yet.
The new album, '#2' will be released on the 9th February. For more information visit www.pioneermusic.com
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