Kevin Bronson on August 28th, 2020

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Singer-songwriter Phem (Liv Marsico) paid her dues as a rock and jazz drummer and then as frontwoman of the experimental indie band Liphemra). During her remarkable ascent in the pop world — sparked by her ownership of the chorus in the 2017 G-Eazy hit “Just Friends” — she’s done everything as if she’s still paying her dues.

Phem trades in bold self-examination and frank talk, captured in audacious modern pop tracks. Her 2019 EP “Vacumhead” offered beat-driven, laser-guided, potty-mouthed puzzle pieces from an artist who has co-written with or been featured on songs by the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Tracy, Iann Dior, Grandson, Alison Wonderland and Elko. She describes herself as identifying with no sexuality and having toted around a lifetime of Catholic school guilt, so all her songs come with the push and pull of wounded vulnerability vs. careful discretion.

During the time before she was racking up plays by the millions on Spotify, Phem spent a year living between her car and a studio space in the Crenshaw District, sequestering herself to confront some hard questions. The cross-examination continues today with the release of the new single “Self Control.” It’s the first song from an EP that’s in the works.

“I’ll be working on perfecting myself until the day I die… It has become my most challenging art project,” Phem says of the song. “Always seeking out ways I could improve inwardly and outwardly, always battling my inner duality. The classic devil and angel on each shoulder. I think we could all use a little more self-control, but there are moments where I just say ‘fuck it’ because that’s what makes us human, and we could all use a little more fun in our lives right now!”

||| Stream: “Self Control”