“Autophøbia” is the latest song from Brooklyn duo NØMADS; the group has been releasing a song a month as part of its Phøbiac EP project. Joining frontman Nathan Lithgow (My Brightest Diamond) is Brian Wolfe (David Byrne and St. Vincent, the Dap Kings). The accompanying video captures the pair performing in an abandoned Catholic school’s furnace room, adding to the track’s already haunting nature.
The post punk/progressive leanings of the music are present at the start with noisy synths that summon specters and muses from the ether giving way to Wolfe’s bang-and-bash drumming. With Lithgow providing an understated but passionate vocal line, the song becomes more insistent by the measure.
The song, which takes its name from one of the most prevalent fears in modern psychology, fully encapsulates the fear of being utterly alone. In the context of this song, a young narrator stares at a photograph of his older self; his reflection becomes both prediction and statement of his present predicament.
“Autophøbia” will appear on the second Phøbiac EP due out in early 2018.