Phantom Handshakes - "Quiet Quit"

It’s hard to believe that the pandemic-birthed Phantom Handshakes already has four wonderful records under their belts. What started as a remote collaboration between two New York City music veterans in Matt Sklar and Federica Tassano has blossomed into one of the most consistently solid projects in the current dream-pop landscape. From 2020’s Be Estranged to their most recent long player, Sirens at Golden Hour, the duo excels at collaboration, as Sklar’s twinkling soundscapes perfectly complement Tassano’s angelic vocals and thought-provoking wordplay.

Though Tassano’s vocals sit pretty evenly in the mix, close listens reap rewards. On “Quiet Quit,” Tassano’s cryptic lyricism adds to the swirling and mysterious instrumentation. The title refers to the current workplace phenomenon of doing the bare minimum to get by unnoticed by your superior, and her words breathe a deeper, more personal meaning into the topic: “Time goes by, sunshine; In a stifling grey life; My friends just cut their ties; Left me, stuck here.”

Stream the track below!

You can purchase Sirens At Golden Hour via Bandcamp. Keep up with the band by following them on Instagram.