It would be foolish to suggest that the pandemic is in any way good for art and artists. But many have used the opportunity to rethink their creative process. Count among them Jay Leo Phillips, known for his work with post-punk heroes Apollo Up!, rocking chamber-pop trio The Prudish Few and more.
On April 23, YK Records will release an EP called Days that he’s been working on during quarantine. As with his superb 2016 record of futuristic post-punk One Million One Million One Million, Phillips recorded himself performing a wide variety of instruments at home for Days, and the pieces tell stories, or at least give you fragmentary glances of post-apocalyptic-feeling narrative. This time out, though, he’s doing it almost entirely without words.
Today, we’re very pleased to premiere the track “You Might Not Like What You See When You Get There,” a piece built around interlocking grooves that conveys a feeling like being in a hurry to complete a long journey. The bass, drums and clavinet bring funk and R&B into the mix, while a distant vocal repeating the song’s title — echoed on electric guitar and glockenspiel — pushes the milieu toward experimental pop, à la late-period Talk Talk. In a note to the Scene, Phillips explains that the composition set the tone for what he wanted to do with the rest of the record.
“I was really excited at how the voice, guitar and glockenspiel sounded together in the choruses,” writes Phillips. “It seemed natural to me, but different enough from my older music that it was interesting to me.”
Check out the track below and click on through to preorder via Bandcamp. Keep up with Phillips on Instagram and Twitter (side note, he’s an especially fun follow if you’re a fan of Dril-esque non sequiturs) for more.
