By Mannu Shahi

Phosphenes is a popular group from the vibrant underground Indie scene flourishing in the opulent gatherings of the Kathmandu-high. With a few line-up changes the band continues to make music with three stagnant founding members and much love from their devoted pack of fans and followers.

The group started its creative journey in 2016 and has managed to sustain producing time relevant content through the years. With high regards for simplicity in music, this group firmly believes in the bonding they form with their audience via their euphonious aural experiences.

They released their debut four track EP, “Know This Time” in February 2018 on all major platforms, however, their full-length album “Sullen Days” released on July 9, 2021, has only been restricted to Noodle, a Nepali music streaming portal.

Though the group did premiere eight singles over time from the very LP on their YouTube channel, the musicians strongly urged their followers to further support their artistic ventures by consuming the music in a legitimate manner. The group states, “Our Sullen Days album is out only at Noodle. It won’t be available at Spotify or any other platforms. We have 14 songs in the album. We all know how difficult it is for the artist/ musician to sustain a living through music, especially in Nepal and with the pandemic making things worse, so this is where we request you to buy our album. It will not only help us create more but also lead us closer to our goal. We always dreamt about miracles coming our way and now we realize the miracles can only come through our friends, family and our listeners.”

The band has also collaborated on production, mix and master duties for the tracks in the LP with sonic wizards like the US based Nepali musician Diwas Gurung and Kathmandu based multimedia artist Rohit Shakya.
Comprising of Abhishekh Pokhrel on vocals and guitars, Prajwal Aryal on vocals and guitars, Aman Karna on guitar and synths, the recent addition to the group is Nirita Yakthumba on vocals and bass.

Originally also seen as a quartet, the founding fourth pillar for the group was a western classical piano disciple Supriya Moktan on vocals and keys, who parted ways in 2019 due to her personal reasons. After that the group was seen associated with other members as they continued to feature additional musicians during special occasions and large venue concerts.

And this coming Friday evening, i.e. on January, 14 2022, the group is gearing up for their much anticipated “Sullen Days'' album launch show at Dhokaima Café in Patan Dhoka, Lalitpur. The opening act for the evening will be Shailu Rai and the Officers followed by the showstoppers for the event.

Due to the limited seating arrangement in the venue, the tickets are only available on physical formats and are rapidly selling out from four different places around the Valley: The Local Project Nepal, Jhamsikhel; Karma Coffee, Gyan-mandala Building; Dhokaima Café, Patan Dhoka; and Electric Pagoda, Thamel.

The band is also planning on treating their loyal audience with the special premiere of the upcoming official music video for their second Nepali language song ‘Yestai Nai Hola’. So, do support this mellifluous group by attending the show, buying their music online, sharing, subscribing and helping out in any way possible.