Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 08/31/2019

Indie songwriter Neil Berthier, formerly of indie rock band Donovan Wolfington's new project PHONY has signed with Smartpunk Records. His genre-bending debut album, Songs You’ll Never Sing (out October 18th) is an amalgamation of emotional pop songs coupled with dark droning trails of the mind, leaving the listener wondering what is coming next.

Songs You’ll Never Sing was recorded, mixed, and engineered by Michaels Saladis one blistering hot week at The Palace in New Orleans. The humidity is felt throughout the record, bringing delirium to the forefront and putting the woes of the mundane on the back burner. Inspired by the progressiveness of indie rock staples like Built to Spill and Death Cab For Cutie, PHONY keeps an even keel by combining that with the classic sensibilities of Nirvana and Weezer’s Pinkerton. The subject matter covers everything from love, trust, psychedelics, anxiety, alcoholism and lucid dreams that feel much like the songs themselves.

The music video for "Dr. Ayahuasca" was released on August 29th. "Musically, the song is supposed to emulate if Rivers Cuomo from Weezer took acid and how that would affect their pop rock formula,” explains Berthier. “Lyrically, it’s about a time an ex-lover and I took psychedelics during Mardi Gras a few years ago. It was midnight and she told me she hadn’t heard a lot of classic rock, specifically The Beatles or Jimi Hendrix. We lit 20 candles in the small studio apartment bathroom and sat in a bubble bath for four hours playing with this red ribbon in the water. Needless to say, it was an incredible experience and the classics never die."

The now Boston-based act has been traveling alone for some time now. After originally hailing from New Orleans and building a strong and loyal following in the vast musical ecosystem that the city is known for, he spent a year in Nashville to calm down for a while and get back to loving music again. In the process of doing so, Berthier moved to Chicago, where he started to tour and perfect the direction of where he wanted to go next with the project. Fall tour dates are currently being routed and will be announced shortly.

Pre-orders for Songs You’ll Never Sing including limited-edition vinyl and merchandise are under way and can be purchased from Smartpunk Records’ web store.      

---

Reach New Jersey's largest arts & entertainment audience, click here for info on how to advertise at NJ Stage

---

 

MORE NEWS

Gateway Playhouse to produce "Concert For A Cure" Fundraiser on June 28th

(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse is producing Concert for a Cure, a three-part show highlighting three different musical acts on June 28, 2026, as a special fundraising event for three different cancer organizations: the American Cancer Society (ACS), Gilda's Club of Linwood, and Wigs & Wishes by Martino Cartier of Sewell. The event will feature three original musical acts: Tide ll Moon, a Philadelphia- based indie rock band formed by Drexel University film students; Steven Lemon, a South Jersey indie pop/rock/folk artist with a songwriting career that spans two decades; and Rachel Burghen, a dynamic South Jersey crossover artist known for her soaring pop sound, accompanied by Brian Conover on piano.

---

The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Blues For Greeny and the music of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac

---

Broadway Theatre of Pitman presents An Evening with Britishmania Beatles Tribute Band on Friday

---

Makin Waves with Jake Thistle: Anchored by Sincerity

---

Asbury Lanes presents Matthew Curry and Erik Mason Band on June 26th

The Penguin Rocks

© 2026 by Wine Time Media, LLC
PO Box 811, Belmar, NJ 07719
[email protected]

Presented by New Jersey Stage

Images used on this site have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and PR firms. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us and we will look into the matter.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and our NJ Stage accounts on Instagram, and Threads

---

News | Features | Radio Shows | Penguin's Hall of Fame | Song of the Week | BlowUpRadio column

Contact Us | About Us | Submit Music | Ad Rates