Phosphene's Matt Hemmerich and Rachel Frankel: Photo by Katy WeaverWhile 2019 saw Rachel Frankel school us with her incredibly illustrated history lesson—She Can Really Lay It Down: 50 Rebels, Rockers & Musical Revolutionaries (Who Happen To Be Women)—2020 will see her dream pop trio Phosphene celebrate the release of a new record.
Not in any rush, the band’s been sitting on some of this music for a few summers, and you’re still going to have to wait until this summer to hear all 10 tracks on Lotus Eaters. But at least we can start enjoying the catchy lead single today! From the opening notes of “Cocoon,” you feel like you already know it. And the singalong-ready refrain makes it easy to pick it up.
Hear Phosphene's new single "Cocoon" live at the Alberta Street Pub on January 30Featuring Frankel on vocals, bass and keys, Kevin Kaw on guitar and Matt Hemmerich on drums, “‘Cocoon’ originated from a jam session back at our old practice space in Oakland, Calif,” Frankel tells. “We like to play musical chairs and swap instruments, so I was riffing on bass for the verses with Matt and Kevin backing me on drums and guitar. Matt tinkered with the song structure and wound up writing the bass part for the chorus, while Kevin continued to add flourishes on lead guitar. Over the next few weeks, I came up with a loose, crooning melody, which Matt wrote the lyrics to later on. Thematically, ‘Cocoon’ explores the complex and conflicted state of keeping a relationship afloat. We decided to further experiment by incorporating a spoken-word poem that lays out several tableaux and encapsulates the motif.”
Recorded in July 2018 with their good friend Greg Francis, who also engineered, mixed and produced the single, he “brought a wealth of experience as both a musician and sound engineer to our session,” Frankel says. “He contributed some amazing atmospheric synth elements to this song.”
