Phabies - The Curse Of Caring (2025)

Second albums can be a real challenge – you’ve channelled so much effort and creativity into your debut, combined with the need to get a follow-up out there as quickly as possible. The pressure’s on big time. For Grand Rapids, Michigan band Phabies, the lead musician, Laura Hobson’s challenge wasn’t necessarily those just mentioned. It was the pressure to create something even more unique, special, and exciting than their well-received debut, “Fire Seed”.

Interestingly, during the course of the making of this record, Hobson made a murder map, writing all the lyrics out by hand, and she connected similar thoughts through lines with red string to get an overall feel for what she was trying to say. It’s a very strong and interesting album with elements of soft folk combined with more indie sounds – a unique mix of The Innocence Mission, Eileen Rose and Gemma Hayes to these ears.

She’s joined by her partner, bassist and manager Garrett Stier, Josh Holicki on drums and Agustin Escalante on guitar and synthesiser. Opener ‘Blooms Of April’ is a gentle acoustic, moody track augmented by some lovely strings, and serious themes abound as she sings “Who’s gonna save us now?” Next up is the strongest track on the album, ‘I Care For You’, which is a catchy indie pop gem. The incredibly diverse inspiration for this song came from Laura meeting a woman saving a forest from destruction, from a mushroom identification hike and another woman she met lamenting about modern times.

‘The Bloodletting‘ is another indie guitar tune with a lovely and memorable chorus, and edgy guitar licks dominate ‘No Sharks’ with Hobson’s effective vocals perfectly suited to both raucous and softer tracks. On ‘Be Kind, Rewind’, there’s a clever and witty cinematic take on love, with a driving beat and a feel not dissimilar to The Cranberries. The title track is a beautiful acoustic epic. Acoustic strumming and gentle strings shimmer in a moving love song that’s one of the album highlights.

A great band to catch live, this is a very strong set of eclectic tunes which combine to create something which leaves the listener wanting more.