Recording under the moniker boxset, New Jersey-based artist Rob Dunphey has been crafting lush lo-fi tunes since 2015, each release offering a slightly different take on the genre. Last summer saw the release of KA PUNCH, a record which welcomed Lucas Haas on drums and found the richest boxset sound yet, retaining the personal grain of the home recorded rock yet achieving a real depth of atmosphere.
Fast forward a year, a boxset is back with batch_six, a brand new EP to be released on Devil Town Tapes. Not one to rest on his laurels, the album sees Dunphey jettison the structured songwriting approach of the previous record in favour of something more instinctive. And the result is perhaps boxset in its truest form, indebted to no conventions or expectations, allowing their sound to flow naturally and following the current.
Lead single ‘jar’ gives a glimpse of the result. Despite the slightly heavier, grungier tone, the song agile and bright. The carefree motion and sun bleached charm point to a slacker rock influence, but there’s an added edge to both the guitars and vocals that avoid the genre’s most ironic side. Which is not to say the track is not playful. Its strange lyrics tell the tale of scavenging ants and the casual cruelty of higher powers, lending a surreal atmosphere that lifts the track above its contemporaries and marks Dunphey as a songwriter to watch.
heading out early
lighting all around me
sun is beating on me
the maker left something in my waycan i head over?
i think i’ll head over
i’ll let the others know
what was senti saw it there
above me
my skin is burning
a lens is burning
