New Metal (LP)

P.H.F.'s release schedule has been prolific as ever in 2020. His career spanning Anthology compilation & killer singles 'Good Girl' and 'Sorry'. But it's been a minute since we've heard a full blown studio album from iconoclastic Tāmaki songwriter and producer Joe Locke. That's all about to change with P.H.F.'s long-teased upcoming record New Metal.

Locke and company have turned a corner yet again. "I think this is the most complex and 'mature' album maybe," Locke details. "It feels like a good combination of all the sounds or phases I have gone through musically, so it's a good summation of the music I like to make." New Metal, which bears a name Locke chose as an obvious nod to the early '00s genre which was hugely influential to him growing up, is a 16 track juggernaut-likely P.H.F.'s most ambitious feat to date.

On album ten P.H.F. masters the loud-quiet-loud dynamic with an even balance of heavy and delicate instrumentation, beneath Locke's tender delivery of some his most thoughtful lyrics yet. Locke sings with the wisdom and agony of a legacy songwriter, detailing his struggle with mental health and modern banality.

For New Metal, Locke's gritty home recordings are souped-up by engineer & co-producer Nick Noneman and live drummer Nich Santana. P.H.F. breathes new life into the rotting corpse of alternative guitar music, with Locke's masterful incorporation of harmonic dissonance, infectious breakdowns, and atmospheric production.