Phantom Pink and the dreamy askew melancholia of "Czech New Wave"

 

images by emily krisky / "Sat atop a lonely spire / Humming seasons, passerbys / That’s when i spot you..."


The dreamy askew melancholia of "Czech New Wave" by Phantom Pink, the moniker of Los Angeles based artist / singer-songwriter Brayton Walls, hits you with impactful gentle punches that nonetheless leave an indelible mark. The sensibility here is a blend of broad indie, alt pop and art rock in one fell swoop of sounds. As the track begins with far away beautiful and eerie orchestrations against up front guitar and Walls' intimate up front voice and self harmonies, you feel his youthful pains / angst as well as (maybe) faint call backs to Sean Lennon's "Friendly Fire" and, even, Elliot Smith's "Figure 8" (albums), at least to me, but then I also thought of 90's Radiohead. I do realize as an avid music listener that what we hear individually might have more to do with ourselves than it does have to do with the artist's inspirations, intentions but I guess that is always the case. The singular point here is this track runs deep, I mean the dreamy swing and lilt and core sadness of "Czech New Wave" feels like it could have been 'orchestrated' even pre-Beatles in some Berlin Cabaret waaay back when and I love it for it's cross generational sweep and wandering emotionality.  

Of course, I also love the modern aspects, the tubular analog guitar squeals against the forlorn horns and the wonderful poetic storytelling. To be honest, upon first listen, I didn't feel enough but "Czech New Wave" surreptitiously seeped into my psyche. Cool. 

Lyrics:

Sat atop a lonely spire
Humming seasons, passerbys
That’s when i spot you

From the stage, like a dart
I can tear this all apart
You can bet on me

Karaoke, Czech New Wave
Corner table, say my name
I can sing for you

If my nose has emptied out
A hundred from my bank account
You know where i’ll be

Stabilizers, lost my hair
I didn't need it everywhere
Nothing to give

Leaves are warm, sunsets cold
I’m your puppet down the road
Dare me to live

Wedding and a funeral
Long and healthy, nothing more
Dry your tears, walk the door
I don’t know you anymore
Wedding and a funeral
Long and healthy, nothing more
Dry your tears, walk the door
I don’t know you anymore
I don’t know you anymore
Why’d I do that?

Wedding and a funeral
Long and healthy, nothing more
Dry your tears, walk the door
I don’t know you anymore
You don’t know me anymore
Long and healthy, nothing more
And so that is that

LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):

[The film movement known as "Czech New Wave" was an inspiration for the song as it was a splash of color in a black and white world. Walls needed to be dared to live, to find light in the darkness.]


[Phantom Pink is gearing up for release of his debut full-length album, Gothika - a vampiric, gothic Los Angeles fever dream drenched in romance, rot, obsession, and reinvention. Equal parts Los Angeles modern, gothic folktale and personal exorcism, Gothika conjures a world where mania and mysticism distort reality. It’s Phantom Pink at his most theatrical, unhinged, and spellbinding.]

-Robb Donker Curtius

The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6DLCKYHxPD6OBjV1xAAVqo

https://www.instagram.com/phantompinksworld

https://www.facebook.com/phantompinksworld

https://phantompink.live/

https://phantompinksworld.com/

Phantom Pink is the hauntingly tender alias of Los Angeles-based artist Brayton Walls, whose dark, cinematic strain of art-rock captures the beauty in emotional chaos. Blending jagged textures with dreamlike melodies, Phantom Pink’s sound is otherworldly, yet familiar. Originally from Las Vegas, Walls began writing songs at 10 as a way to navigate his growing pains and identity. After years of shaping his voice in DIY scenes across the West Coast, Phantom Pink has emerged with a sound uniquely bruised and beautiful.

His debut EP, A Good Color On You, plays like a series of anxious vignettes delivered by an unreliable narrator - fragmented and teetering on the edge of clarity. The record doubles as a love letter to Portland, OR, where it was written, and the moody soundscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Through sharply confessional lyrics, glitched-out recordings of crows and midnight parties with friends, A Good Color On You captures a distinct emotional weather: foggy, electric, and just on the edge of breaking open.

Now, Phantom Pink is gearing up for release of his debut full-length album, Gothika - a vampiric, gothic Los Angeles fever dream drenched in romance, rot, obsession, and reinvention. Equal parts Los Angeles modern, gothic folktale and personal exorcism, Gothika conjures a world where mania and mysticism distort reality. It’s Phantom Pink at his most theatrical, unhinged, and spellbinding.

Phantom Pink, indie rock, alt rock, broad pop, alt pop, experimental, askew pop, abstract rock, artist songwriter Brayton Walls, "Czech New Wave" upcoming debut album "Gothika", poetic lyrics, sombercore, sadcore,