blog – phlwest

27 August 2025

My new song Location out September 12th

Watch exclusive Teaser for Location on Youtube.

I think we still don’t know how to be seen.

Do you feel free, do you really believe it?

I can only ever touch you at night – with nobody looking.

Only at night, when everybody’s too tired to stare.

I feel safe in the shadows, you and I feel free in the dark.

That’s our destiny, this is our legacy.

That’s why I make music.

These songs carry what I’m too afraid to say out loud –

There’s an honesty there.

And maybe, in listening, you can feel as I feel,

you can see what I see,

you can tell that I really love you

With all the implications of it, all the hurt that comes along

i’m ready for it, cause i got weapons

words, melody, words, melody —

SOLO ON THAT FULL RED PIN MM

COME AND HEAD TO MY LOCATION MM

I FEEL BEAUTIFUL TONIGHT

BET YOU BEAUTIFUL

COULD BE BEAUTIFUL

The song heavily inspired by late night cruising sessions: I’ma drop that pin and you’ll come wherever I want you to be. We don’t have to be long, we don’t have to be love, we just need some one on one, at this location.

Can’t stay solo on this red pin forever – come and head to my location.

I’m so low on this full red pin…

come and head to my location

“Location” didn’t start as a song – it started as pure feeling translated into sound. I was posted up at this sunset spot I’d been gravitating toward lately, just vibing with my setup as the light started to shift. There’s something about that golden hour energy that makes beats write themselves, you know? The rhythm emerged organically from the environment – the waves, the breeze, maybe even my own heartbeat slowing down as the day faded. I kept tweaking the tempo, pitching elements up and down until I found that sweet spot where everything locked in. By the time I had the foundation right, the sun had completely disappeared, but somehow that felt perfect. The track needed that transition from light to dark, from day to night energy.

As I sat there in the growing darkness, the location itself started speaking to me on a different level. This spot, this vibe – it reminded me of how connection happens in our world sometimes. Those moments when you’re in the right place and everything just aligns, when someone appears on your radar in a way that feels both surprising and inevitable. The image that wouldn’t leave my head was that red pin dropping on a map – that moment of “here, this is where you need to be.” That’s when the hook crystallized: “SOLO ON THAT FULL RED PIN, COME AND HEAD TO MY LOCATION.” It was like the beat had been waiting for those exact words. I titled the track right there in the moment – “Location” – because it captured everything: the physical space, the emotional coordinates, the invitation to find each other.

The funny thing is, I wasn’t even home yet when the rest of the chorus hit me like lightning. I’m driving back, still processing what had just happened at that spot, when suddenly the complete lyrical picture flooded in. I had to literally pull over because I’m forgetful as fuck and knew I’d lose it if I didn’t capture it immediately. The full chorus spilled out in this rush of clarity – all those feelings about beauty, confidence, and magnetic attraction that had been brewing finally found their words. Recording everything here on the island was a departure from my usual studio setup, but it felt right to keep the whole creative process rooted in this place. I’m still figuring out the technical side without proper monitors, so if the mix sounds off, blame my makeshift island studio situation – but honestly, there was something about staying true to where it all began that felt more important than perfect acoustics.

4 August 2025

A month gone and I swear the forever blue of these skies feed my creativity in ways I wasn’t prepared for. Cloudless heavens as direct connection to him – that ain’t god, that’s life talking to me. And when I look up at night, the stars look brighter, a little shinier, and I can tell that is illusion from within. Is it?

I know your eyes light up different around here, the spark as something eternal.

Listen, there’s music everywhere, I’ve taken my keys and made music anywhere, almost falling off cliffs in deep rhythm, tears streaming in awe of beauty – with that beauty captured in sound, easily. And I’m tryna capture it all, although lenses get in the way sometime. They seem to suck light out of the present moment, and I want nothing more than be present. Trying though – for you – for being able to share, to look back on, to reflect. You know, memory a unreliable muse.

My TikTok Account has been in the trenches for a while – asked for help already, with nobody seeing through, nobody seeing what I see daily. Somehow my videos get pushed to Eastern European Countries first and foremost – which is a problem for the algorithm and performance of my videos. Lately I been trying to make more ‘vlog’ style content, trying to expand into something more than just visuals (while keeping the core alive) – but the people my shit gets pushed to don’t understand = don’t care – so the videos do not have a chance. They die immediately. This has been going on for 7 months now. I’ve tried it all, including contacting TikTok support, there ain’t nothing anybody can do.

I’m off to start a new account soon, seeing where this will lead me. The mental clarity of it alone, starting fresh, not worrying about the wrong algorithm, will hopefully be enough to give me a more positive outlook. Although I don’t know what to do with my 85K follower strong account. It feels terrible leaving it to die. Maybe I can go back to it at some point, or it’ll be lost to the internet, as all good media is destined to at some point.

Thing is, and sometimes I appreciate it not enough, in times like these I do though: Music, all mine. All me, no algorithm, no overhead, just me. No dependencies, and learning to mix and master were the last steps in that. So I can go back to myself, go back to my ideas, my vision, and work from inside out, without the need for validation.

Recently been pushing for sounds and a vibe I’ve not been able to create before: Nothing new, but simply my sound, expanded. My sound, pushed into new directions, pulled and extended. I am excited about what I’ve been working on forreal, there’s an eternal beauty here and I’m capturing it.

My next song is already written, produced: I need to record vocals now, which I am preparing for. ‘LOCATION’ will be the first of many songs that hopefully show this newly found freedom, experimentation, love.

I’ve always made songs to live life to, and I want to continue to push that further. If you’re interested, go ahead and show yourself living life to my music, tag me, post a reel, post a TikTok. I would love to find out what you’re experiencing on my music. Like MDMA, like Love.

The Island as a place I can call home, spiritual home, creative home. I am finding beauty laying freely, untouched. The harsh sun uncovers, dries the waters, the ocean, restless, unmoving, opposing forces. I can see the shimmer, the cerulean waters, unimpressed. Flat, still, like mediterranean waters are, almost mirror like, and then storm comes, and then beauty comes, endless cycles.

The ideas are there, the execution is coming, slowly.

Experimenting with ideas of cinema, big synths. Mike dean shit, you know.

The lyrics are coming together as one, as something more than intricate, something beautiful. I’ll be sure to keep you updated, I’m currently working on a new LIFE AS ART youtube video as well. More behind the scenes, more access. Don’t we all want access?

Just know I feel more free, which will make me be able to give you more music, faster.

Being indie and doing this myself without a huge marketing team behind me isn’t the easiest – so, again, if you feel something to your core, if a lyric resonates, do go ahead and share it with a friend,

a lover, somebody

The revolution is coming, we’re inside of it, right inside of the eye of the storm –

LOVE, forever

phlwest.

2 July 2025

Music I Love to Love to

Music serves as memory – in 2023 I started making a new Playlist for every new month – new music, old songs that I fall in love with again, songs from the previous month I didn’t get enough of. No rules; a soundscape for a month.

A Playlist as time capsule – revisiting these tracks, in that specific order as a way of going back in time, to a different version of me.

Warhol did this with perfumes – a different one for each month, smell is connected to memory for him, to me it’s music. Sticking with that. My songwriting as my own personalized time capsules – revisiting, journaling.

At some point I might share some of these monthly soundscapes, for now I’m giving you another update of LOVE: a playlist reflecting my current state of mind, ideas. Inspiration, daily listening. Generally updated once a month as well, but more curated towards continuous listening, more cohesive. In tune with the music I am currently releasing. I hope you love this iteration as much as I do.

I wanted to talk a few songs that I’ve been into.

HEAVEN
Melody follows chord progression so inexplicably new and familiar, you know what’s coming but you don’t. Great songwriting.

UN DEUX
cortex found such a unique sound – another banger.

CANDY
Interpolation of milkshake done queer – also Claudia is hot.

SIMPLE GIRL
Great introduction to Remy Bond. She updates Abba soundscapes and brings great songwriting.

CHEMICAL REACTION
If she had bigger marketing budget this would be a #1 hit. Great Pop.

FAME IS A GUN
The synth.

ZAGGA DAT
The song cool the video cool she so fucking cool.

POGO
Let’s just fuck to this.

23 June 2025

Last Light Live Piano Version

Last Light was born at the piano, like most of my songs. The melody as a reminder of what love looks like – it came quick, as opposed to the lyrics that took a while to perfect.

I am proud of songs that work in this way – no fancy production that can hide songwriting issues or weak melodies. I love the simplicity and rawness of just voice plus piano. I believe it works well for Last Light.

I hope you enjoy.

11 June 2025

Last Light Is Out Now!

My new single Last Light is out now on all streaming platforms. Listen anywhere.

Trust that essential connection is with another human being. This track, Last Light, began with a phrase: We wasted the Last Light on us both.

It hadn’t clicked yet, I wasted it on a simple video, until one of y’all got back to me, mentioning its truth, connection, reality. I realised this was a song waiting to be written.

Waste the last light on us two /
It feels good being with you /
Doing it all with you

Waste the last light on us two /
It’s warm inside you /
That does good to us two

Picnic with your ass out, quarter burnt cigarettes, grass longing for touch, centuries of understanding, thick armpit hair, lighters without fluid, stars drowned by faint city lights, fallen trees around forests, hard techno in the distance: kids, thick unmoving air, buzzing: mosquitoes.

It all came together as if the song had been waiting to be written, waiting for me to extract it out of the air, the air around us, the air around you and me, the air unmoving.

It would mean the world to me if you checked Last Light out, if you let it into your life, if you found a way to incorporate it into your own playlists, your life.

I know Playlists can be very personal, very unique to a certain mood. I feel like Last Light is special; melancholic, optimistic. I hope it works for your life – i hope you listen.

LOVE, forever

phlwest.

If you wanna check out my Playlist, including some of my newest inspiration and coolest sounds, check out LOVE:

21 May 2025

Pretty Pretty Is Out Now!

My new single Pretty Pretty is out right now. You can listen to it anywhere, on all streaming platforms.

This is the first single off my project LOVE, forever. If you want to know more about LOVE, forever, go ahead and check out my last Blog.

I’m excited about Pretty Pretty – this song came together in a flash, like a moment you have with a person, maybe only once in your life. Your only aim: extend these seconds, stretch them, live in them as long as possible. Hear the echoes as far as possible, be one with the aftermath, good or bad.

I had no choice but to work on this track day and night – get it finished as soon as possible, keep the energy. No good in losing that energy working on a song, ’cause the energy is most important, it conveys through space and time; only music can do that. Something about the way I wrote this just made a whole lot of fucking sense, I was able to capture that energy.

Usually tracks take lots of time for me, not Pretty Pretty. Everything came to me in a flash, and I was able to put pen to paper and notes to Cubase in a suprisingly short amount of time.

The Need For Depth

This song is unusual for me – I’ve come to realize that I’m pretty hard on myself in trying to provide deep and meaningful lyrics. I want to make the best, the most referential, intelligent and unique and interesting music that I am capable of creating. That usually means trying to create sonic vibes in metaphorical ways.

In writing and producing Pretty Pretty I realized that there is merit in creating something stupid and simple as well. I learned that being blunt and open and confronting you guys with what’s on my mind directly doesn’t necessarily take away from the music or the art form. It’s simply a different way of approaching music.

An evolution in a way. This opened my eyes to the possibility of being frank, more direct, something I’m struggling with and have been struggling with not only in art but also in life. This definitely won’t mean all music going forward will be simple, in fact, the next song I’ve just finished working on today is more metaphorical and more intricate in ways, however Pretty Pretty opened up the possibility of doing this at all. It’s been a great exercise in songwriting and a greater exercise in giving less fucks.

Maybe the idea of trying to be more deep and intricate comes from being queer, a need to codify, a need to hide what we do, who we are. This bluntness is new to me, it feels liberating.

I’ve learned that I want to be more blunt with my existence, cause we deserve to talk sucking dick just as passionately as straight artists deserve talking eating pussy. I want to continue evolving into somebody living, talking, being truthful to both you and me, and our idea of life.

Endless Evolution

An excess of honesty in this world, maybe it can connect us more, without a need to hide. Also, a way of understanding each other: simpler language, less confusion. Something I usually work against, I love the grey areas, I love writing lyrics that y’all are able to interpret for yourself, so that there is room for you, so that you can insert yourself into situations that resonate with you, so that there is a space for you, in between my own words. To find hidden meaning with the hundredth listen, to come back to a song after years and seeing everything in different light, due to your very self changing.

That is the main way I make music, and I will continue to do so. Pretty Pretty is an experiment, a shot at something simple, straight forward. Usually this would end up on a harddrive on some random shelf in my basement, never to be heard again. I just felt like I owed it to myself to explore this way of working. And at the end of the day I’m proud of Pretty Pretty, it’s a different type of proud than I am of my usual songs.

Ultimately I want to make music that you listen to – that is the end goal for me. I want to make music that connects, makes you think, makes you feel, dance or love. So who’s to judge a song if it achieves just that?

LOVE, forever

phlwest.

6 May 2025

LOVE, forever

Together We Are Love is more than a distant memory still, more than those 14 songs; a way of being – and we’ll continue being love. You and me. These songs are with me still, I hope they’re with you in one way or another, to live to, to be rediscovered on old playlists in five years time. Music moves quickly nowadays, and if you’re constantly on the hunt for new, old loses shine. It will reappear if you love hard enough.

All good things come in two, and the best come in three, and even though that means less space in bed, less sleep, those memories are worth it. I’m working on singles now, but the thought of a continuation, an evolution of Together We Are Love fuels insomnia. I want to create, release as much as possible, without confinement, without ‘album mode’ at the back of my mind. At least for a while – I want standalone songs, I want continuation.

To combine the two I came up with the idea for a project I’m calling

LOVE, forever

This will be a collection of songs, of singles, that continue the thoughts I’ve been dreaming with Together We Are Love, yet allowing me to be more spontaneous, more free, more experimental and more intimate. Love lasts forever once you feel it, and these songs do too. If they’re with you, if they’ve made their way onto a playlist, into your heart; immortality. Love, Forever.

An idea out of necessity; I don’t know where this will take us, but this chapter is called Love, Forever. I don’t know how many songs I’ll make, or how long it will take, maybe endless. We’ll be finding out together, cause we are love, love forever.

Pretty Pretty is the first song of this project and it feels the way I’ve promised myself to be: more free, more experimental. Usually I would dismiss the idea that led to Pretty Pretty, ’cause it is simplistic and doesn’t contain much lyrical depth.

The more I been thinking about this, I realize that there is worth in that. There is life to immediacy, bluntness. Honesty.

I felt that I just wanted to say what was on my mind. Without the need to color it with metaphors or depth, references or style. And since the hook is catchy as fuck I decided not to be my own worst enemy – and continue to pursue this spur of the moment track – it came together quickly, which is very unlike me. I love it for what it is, and I am happy to be able to stand behind it. This is evolution – in a way.

Ultimately all I wanna do is make music that people actually listen to, and this track feels like something people wanna listen to. You’ve given me that feedback.

I’ll be talking more about Pretty Pretty in the release post, just remember it’s coming this Friday, May 09th!

I’m excited to be working in the studio again, on new music. New lyrics and productions have been forming throughout the push for We Are Love anyway, and I’m excited to be acting on them now.

I know I’m ready, see you friday.

Love, forever,

phlwest.

iiii

My new song Location out September 12th

Music I Love to Love to

Last Light Live Piano Version

Last Light Is Out Now!

Pretty Pretty Is Out Now!

The Need For Depth

Endless Evolution

LOVE, forever

TERMS

IMPRESSUM

HELP