ALBUM REVIEW: Pharlee – Pharlee
Born from the psychedelic underground scene in San Diego, five-piece PHARLEE attempt to offer an amalgamation on timbres, tones and playful melody patterns on their debut self-titled release. Comprised of only six tracks, you would be forgiven that PHARLEE is an EP, but with their catalogue coming in at just over six minutes each, it certainly does stand up as one long full body of work.
Immediately keys are given an organ wrapping in opener Ethereal Woman, introducing the world of psychedelia without any apology. Coupled with a fast paced maelstrom of rollicking guitar riffs, droning bass tones and sustaining rhythms, it’s not until the voice of Macarena Rivera is introduced that the full effect of PHARLEE‘s sound is apparent. Sitting comfortably above the din, she offers an attitude that oozes with something a little sinister if it isn’t for her alluring charm. At times her voice replaces Garrett Lekas on keys to create a sonic potion that works inherently well for the time being.
The distortion is laid on thick in Creeping; the production quality of the whole record feeling ultimately raw and rough around the edges. It’s an effect that not only feels under budget, but strives to drive the sound away from the now and into the realm of nostalgia. Skittish drums offered by Zachary Oakley (who also holds down the percussion departments in fellow bands VOLCANO and JOY) are precise to the point you can almost imagine the vibration of his sticks as he attacks the china, before he soon relapses into going all hell for leather for the track’s climax.
By the time the mid-way point of Pharlee is reached, the band’s formula is fully established —sadly becoming repetitive in its delivery. Warning is a welcome change from breakneck speeds, giving the bass a chance to flourish in the bottom end. It reeks of FLEETWOOD MAC’s Tusk, drawing on a slower pace to keep the listener on edge before menacing guitar riffs return to lead the charge. Rivera really puts her vocal chops to the test here: sultry and slow with plenty of breathing room. There’s a growling edge to her voice that threatens to break with venom at any moment (although it never does), feeling far more prevalent in the latter half of the record than in the former. Where before it sounds like the vocals are struggling to keep up with the race, her full potential is realised with the scope to drive the melodies forward instead of PHARLEE’s instrumentation.
Closing the record in the same way they began, once again crashing cymbals and racing keys push the album over the finish line to silence. Sadly, it’s a welcome silence, with the continued onslaught of rough distortion becoming an annoyance more than a pleasure. Where this record does have its exciting moments, the repetitive nature of their sound makes their introduction of new ideas seem muted. While their peers in the San Diego scene rise above all the noise through the experimental use of time signatures, impressive sustained rhythms and intricate guitar picking, PHARLEE fall into a steady formula that reared it’s head more than five decades ago. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. PHARLEE are not pushing any sonic boundaries on their inaugural offering, rather proving that they’ve got the chops to keep up with an already bristling landscape instead.
Rating: 6/10
Pharlee is out now via Tee Pee Records.
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