SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: AREA RESIDENT – PHOSPHENE

Area Resident
Phosphene
Surkeus Records

Phosphene is Area Resident’s seventh album, and its first of all new material since 2022’s Quasar. Here, Doug Hempstead, also known as Area Resident, is co-producing with Jordon Zadorozny, and the end result is very solid, strong, and melodic.

Phosphenes are the images of colour and light you see when your eyes are closed or when you rub your eyes. “I will close my eyes/There will still be light/Focus on the phosphenes in my sight”, Hempstead sings in the title track. A different kind of love song, original, and a wonderful expression of sentiment from one person to another. And that kind of sums up the album. Hempstead has a very unconventional, yet emotional, manner in which he expresses himself. The album ends with the powerful “Son Of A Bitch Song”, which is part confessional and part observational. “Crepe Paper Leaf” is a hard-rocking song, sandwiched between a more acoustic number and a power pop tune. Musically, Phosphene is consistent yet not uniform. He has a definite style, yet he is never afraid to shuffle the sound and music around.

Phosphene continues to grow on the listener with each spin on the turntable. Area Resident does have a retro-rock feel to his music but it is his own style. This is not a criticism. Phosphene plays like an older album. From the first time one listens, it feels familiar and inviting.

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