Listen. What else was I supposed to do, okay? There were FIVE Fridays in March. And great records released on every single one of those Fridays. Rules are meant to be broken or whatever. On this month's episode, I go long (like, way long) on the unexpected highs (and lows) of March's releases, and muses on the unlikely cultural and foundational growth of one of my favourite genres. RIP Ryuichi Sakamoto. Also sorry Katie Gately, I have no idea why I said you were Australian. Albums discussed below:

Debby Friday - GOOD LUCK

Fever Ray - Radical Romantics

Gel - Only Constant

The HIRS Collective - We're Still Here

JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - Scaring The Hos

Katie Gately - Fawn/Brute

Liturgy - 93696

MSPAINT - Post-American

slowthai - UGLYY

ves Tumour - Praise A Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)

Zulu - A New Tomorrow

100 Gecs - 10,000 Gecs

February. What a stupid word! Like come on. It's like purposefully difficult to say, kinda like how the month is purposefully difficult to survive. I hate February. Didn't hate its music releases though! In this month's episode, Phil gets in touch with his youth, in more ways than one, and reflects on what it actually means to enjoy music. How do we learn to enjoy things that are intentionally impenetrable? Find out the definitive answer by tuning in! Albums discussed below:

Algiers - Shook

Caroline Polacheck - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

Paramore - This is Why

Pile - All Fiction

See You Next Tuesday - Distractions

Skrillex - Quest For Fire

Ulthar - Anthronomicon & Helionomicon

Yeat - Afterlyfe

I don't know how we got here but here we are, at the end of the first month of 2023. As Smash Mouth wisely stated, 'the years start comin' and they don't stop comin''. January started the year off relatively weak in terms of new music, save for a flurry of excellent releases at the end of the month. Is there any better feeling than hearing that first record of the year that you really like? Probably. But that feeling's up there. Albums discussed below:

Boldy James - Indiana Jones

Lil Yachty - Let's Start Here.

Mark William Lewis - Living

MOLLY - Picturesque

Nicole Dollanganger - Married in Mount Airy

Oozing Wound - We Cater to Cowards

Parannoul - After the Magic

Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12

This was a year filled with opuses so it only seems fitting that we conclude it with an opus of our own! Join Phil on the longest ph5 episode to date as he runs down his top 10 albums (and top 5 songs) of 2022. Come on, its that weird time between Christmas and New Years where nothing exists and nothing matters, not like you're doing anything else important anyway! Thanks as always for tuning in, we'll see you next year.

Albums discussed below (in alphabetical order...tune in for the actual ranking!)

billy woods - Aethiopes

Burial - Antidawn

Ethel Cain - Preacher's Daughter

Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed

Huerco S. - Plonk

oso oso - sore thumb

Rosalía - MOTOMAMI

Soul Glo - Diaspora Problems

Sudan Archives - Natural Brown Prom Queen

The Weekend - Dawn FM

Everyone knows that the only real reason to listen to new music is to make a list about it at the end of the year, and we're finally here! You guys have already read everyone else's year end lists so you might as well check out mine too. Although historically speaking (sample size: 1) the #25-11 episode has the lowest listenership of any episode of the season; good thing I made this one 90 minutes long! The last episode of the season containing Phil's top 10 albums and top 5 songs of 2022 will come...soon. Stay tuned.