PHONY

"...Berthier's most honest and open songwriting to date..." - FLOOD Magazine

PHONY (aka Los Angeles-based Neil Berthier) today shares “THE MIDDLE,” the anthemic final single off his new album AT SOME POINT YOU STOP, out this Friday, July 29th. It arrives alongside a chilling Dom Vaughn-directed video that culls inspiration from David Cronenberg, The Twilight Zone, and 80's slasher films, premiering today via FLOOD Magazine. "It depicts a body-horror procedure that plugs Neil into a simulation,” explains Vaughn. “The VR setup allows him to experience a kind of cosmic gumbo of abject loneliness and his happiest memories." The song, Berthier explains, is about the devastating loss of his father: "I had a tough time dealing with my father's dementia conceptually. To cope, I wrote letters to get my feelings out there, knowing no one would see them. It was more helpful than I thought it would be. This song is about wishing there was a recipient to eventually read these letters, but knowing that’s not possible."

PHONY is set to support Joyce Manor on their August U.S. tour, with opener Prince Daddy and the Hyena as his touring band. See below for a full itinerary of dates. “THE MIDDLE” follows previous LP singles “KALEIDOSCOPE” and “SUMMER’S COLD,” which earned support from Stereogum, UPROXX, Brooklyn Vegan, and more. AT SOME POINT YOU STOP, due out via his own PHONY INDUSTRIES label in partnership with Joyful Noise Recordings/Secretly Distribution, is available for pre-order/pre-save.

After losing his father, moving from Boston to Los Angeles, joining Joyce Manor as an auxiliary guitarist/backing vocalist, and acclimating to the synergy of the zen-yet-rowdy Southern California lifestyle, things were simultaneously devastating and thrilling as Berthier worked on the songs that would become his third solo album, AT SOME POINT YOU STOP. The stark contrast of these monumental life changes prompted him to dig deeper than ever in his music, creating his most vulnerable and compelling work to date. “It’s called PHONY as an oxymoron. I want this to be the most personal, wearing my heart on my sleeve shit that I can possibly come up with,” he says. 

Sonically, this record’s enthralling power is its ability to spin disparate sounds into a seamless whole. Across AT SOME POINT YOU STOP, fuzzed-out anthems fit for rolling the windows down and taking a long summer drive bleed into heavy, reflective moments—mirroring two turbulent years where feelings of immense grief often clashed with serene and newly invigorating surroundings.

PHONY has been recruited to play shows as a musician in some of the most exciting bands in Southern California (slowcore darlings Milly, Petey, Joyce Manor), but when asked how his involvement in so many prolific acts shapes his solo work, he’s quick to say that it doesn’t, really. However, the talent of a workhorse musician courses through AT SOME POINT YOU STOP, proving his individual chops are nuanced enough to keep up with a full fledged touring outfit. Berthier has spent a good chunk of the past decade perfecting his role as a commanding frontman, and on AT SOME POINT YOU STOP, he’s found his place.