Thantophobe is the musical project of Philadelphia, USA-based producer, songwriter and engineer Thomas Johnsen. He’s just come to my attention thanks to his new single Strange Light.

By Graeme Smith

Strange Light was originally created as a demo by My Beautiful Wife’s Michael Stauffer and has now undergone the Thantophobe treatment. The result is moody and atmospheric, starting slow and distorted before arriving at a jangly, lo-fi rock groove. The vocals are wonderfully dreamy, floating cosmically over the instrumentals before the track explodes to life with some melancholic yet life-affirming grunge. It’s really quite breath-taking.

Thomas records in his own purpose built studio, converted from an abandoned church. He’s currently hard at work on his debut album, Imposter, which is set for release next year. You can give Strange Light a listen below.