PHRAEN is an innovative musical project created by Seamus O’Dwyer from the UK. This is a unique project that fully revolves around songwriting, production, and sound experiments. Gliding seamlessly across the hazy atmosphere of dream pop, shoegaze, and alternative rock, PHRAEN is not confined to any single genre because it is the music that defines its own unique path in this project. Featuring a select group of musicians, the album contains amazing vocal tracks performed by a talented guest singer and instrumental tracks performed by skilled musicians. Having been released on September 18, 2026, After is an outstanding album that serves as a perfect follow-up to the successful debut album It’s Routine and sets O’Dwyer’s songwriting and production skills in completely new directions. Let’s find out more about this great collection of tracks.
The album begins with “Dover,” which, rather than starting with the expected crescendo of sound, instead begins with a dark, lower-toned atmospheric drone paired with a quivering guitar tremolo effect that creates tension before the song is solidified with a steady and deliberate rhythm section. Thematically, the song jumps right into a state of both geographic and personal detachment by creating the sense of watching one’s life disappear on a distant shoreline. Vocationally, the singer does a fantastic job of performing his lyrics in a whisper-like tone as he is surrounded by a dense sound of guitar effects and bass.
Moving on to a more compulsive beat, “Rituals” begins with a clean, looping piano melody that is played back and forth in the left speaker in strict rhythm for several bars, followed by a soft kick drum that enters and establishes the groove. The song’s theme revolves around a character who is trying to unlearn certain things because a particular person is not around anymore. She still has lingering memories and thoughts about the things that used to be there, signifying the presence of another person besides her. In terms of vocal delivery, there is a soft and depressed vibe in the vocals, which blend in seamlessly with the backdrop of sustained piano sounds and amp feedback.
The song “Cigarette Burn” cuts through the built-up atmosphere right from the first second when the song is introduced with a razor-sharp scrape of a soft synth-pop melody. “Cigarette Burn” lyrics are concerned with a person who works at the cinema or is at the cinema to watch a movie. The voice delivery is tough and not polished, which highlights the song’s vulnerability, supported by distorted guitar riffs and urgent drumming. The effect acts like an adrenaline rush that cuts through the dream-like haze of the previous tracks.
Gradually forming through the wall of ambient hum from the amplifiers and the floating pads, “Jimmy’s Lighthouse” rises up from silence and then gets a foundation through the heavy and rhythmic beats from the floor-tom drums. The lyrics explore the frantic search for some direction in the state of utter isolation. We meet Jimmy, the lighthouse keeper, how good he is at this job and how the job has made him into a hermit who cannot go anywhere outside of the lighthouse he keeps. In terms of vocals, there is a storytelling approach used which easily glides above the enormous reverberation and delay of guitar riffs.
Making a sudden shift towards tense energy, “Time To Panic” starts off suddenly with a stuttering, dramatic, and soft drum intro along with a very rough and edgy guitar riff. The theme is about sensory overload, fast thinking, and fear of losing control due to all external stress becoming too much. As far as the vocals go, it is frantic and tight, along with instrumental madness pushing the boundaries of distortion before fading out into an amazing twangy spaghetti western guitar ending.
The song “This City” begins with a steady and rhythmic beat that seems like footsteps being heard echoing from concrete walls in the middle of a deserted street in an urban center at 3 a.m. Lyrical themes are focused on analyzing life in the city, with its skylines, taxis, and factories with smoke coming out of them- basically the hustle and bustle of life in the city. The vocal performance is melodic, calm, and introspective, with a perfect fit to the sound of indie rock harmonies and electronic elements.
The song “Deer” begins slowly and carefully, with the acoustic guitar being softly played and accompanied by a high-pitched sound of string-like guitar that brings to mind the stillness of early morning woods. The song’s lyrics talk about extreme gentleness, emotional exposure, and the natural response of freezing, like an animal trapped in the bright lights of a vehicle during confrontation. It can also just be talking about a deer who is stuck in the headlights, like deer tend to do. This song features one of the most gentle and delicate vocals on the album, set to music that uses minimal instruments in order for every note to resonate.
The song “The Magpie” starts off with a dark, dramatic, rhythmical snap, owing to the syncopation of guitar sounds and snare clicks that encourage one to nod one’s head along. The lyrics of this song are symbolic of how the mind gets stolen through simple moments like blowing a kiss to a magpie. Musically, there is a humorous and observant confidence in the vocal performance, accompanied by an unconventional rock music score with dramatic dynamic shifts. The song is a needed relief from psychological stress.
This track ends the album with “Mr Red (Album Mix)”, which begins with a deep rumble of electronic frequencies along with distant echoes of guitar chords that gradually come together to create a driving rhythm. I believe that this song is about the famous Santa Claus and the way he moves around during the festive season. Vocally, the track has a voice that is well-grounded and is delivered with great conviction and passion over a wall of shoegaze guitars and crashing cymbals.
This album emerged out of the sanctity of one’s private world, where it was formed via an audacious and courageous night-time practice of experimenting in a recording studio. Having chosen not to go for the clinical environment of the commercial studios, Phraen injected all of himself into the machine and created a unique sound by driving background sounds and effects directly through overdriven amplifiers to produce ethereal sustaining sounds. This was achieved using Ableton and a bunch of guitar pedals together with huge spaces of reverberation and delays.
It is an awe-inspiring creation, which seamlessly flows from one mood to another in different cinematic styles while being firmly grounded in songs composed to the highest standard, which directly touch the human heart. The artistic imagination of Phraen goes beyond the clichéd confines of musical genres and opts to follow the unbridled flow of the music based on its intrinsic pulse. It is a remarkable tribute to independent artistry that shows once again that when the creative genius is allowed complete liberty, it creates magic of the finest kind.
This stunning album was not created from strictly adhering to a set template or succumbing to fleeting fads, but has evolved through an adventurous process of sound experimentation, where surprising combinations, intriguing textures, and captivating sounds abound at every turn. One such example is the beautiful and enchanting composition “Deer,” where acoustic guitars and weeping strings combine to create a beautiful and cinematic, almost orchestral sound. Suddenly, in an amazing moment of creativity that was completely unpredictable, “Time to Panic” completely defies expectations by taking off on an incredibly bizarre tangent to end up in an epic, blazing outro reminiscent of a classic spaghetti western movie. What a breath of fresh air it is to see an artist with talent so unique and complex and yet so completely in tune with their own creativity. To be able to work with someone of Phraen’s ability is an incredible privilege, and I can’t wait until our future collaborations continue.
Stream the “After” album on Spotify.
Follow Phraen here and on his socials: Instagram, TikTok, Bandcamp
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