Vienna, Austria-based indie pop artist Joe Traxler has featured on these pages a few times before, going back to 2021. I’ve always been taken with his beautifully unique sound and taste for the macabre. His latest is a team up with Harry Dean Lewis and shows a lighter side of his music. It’s called Pheromones.

By Graeme Smith

Feature photo by Cherie Hansson

Though there are some beautifully sweet and fragrant pop elements in Pheromones, we don’t lose any of Joe’s love for the weird and unique in it. Sung vocals pair nicely with rapped verses while the instrumentals meld pop, jazz and soul to arrive at something that is difficult to define. There’s a clear chemistry between Joe and Harry. They’re making some beautiful music together.

Pheromones was written and produced by Joe Traxler & Harry Dean Lewis. It features Julian Skone on drums and Florian Jauker on bass. It was mixed by Joe and mastered by Nik Paumgarten at Hinterhof Studios. You can check out its video, created by Cherie Hansson, below.