Public Phone School by Public Phone School

Hyperpop isn’t dead–the genre is just going through its punk phase. Described as “An unholy marriage of '90s Nickelodeon nostalgia and synth punk,” the debut self-titled from Philadelphia duo Public Phone School is 12 minutes of unrelenting glitchy chaos. Buzzy retro synth tones combine with driving double bass percussion, forming the backing track to raw vocals strained to the limit. It only makes sense that Public Phone School also define themselves as “trachea-shredding electro-violence”, a moniker that fits better than any other genre label could. 

It’s not only the unrelenting glitchcore instrumentals and tortured screeching that makes this release worth a listen. This short, aggressive album is chock full of snarky, cynical lyrics with endearing self-awareness. With the vocalist’s monologue racing between themes of self-destructive apathy, gun-toting confidence, aging out of the “scene”, and bleeding out in the parking lot, tracks like Walker Texas Instruments embody our post-empathy zeitgeist. There is no happy ending to this record, abandoning the listener with a final zippy electronic flourish. But without a weak moment, it is hard to resist spinning Public Phone School on repeat. 

- Kalen