Basement Finds 003: In Phases
"Hot Girl Moshpit" serves as the artist's latest EP title as well as a movement they're spearheading into 2025.
Welcome back to Basement Finds, a series where I dig deep on the internet to find music and artists who have been buried or unheard. All music deserves to be heard and shared, and The Basement is a vehicle for that.
The Basement is back with another weekly find and couldn’t be more excited to share this one.
In Phases is a one person band that has pretty much been self producing every aspect of their art. From the music itself to songwriting, filming and marketing. Even with comparisons of Chase Atlantic and PVRIS, they continue to create their own lane with their latest EP, “Hot Girl Moshpit.”
I got a chance to catch up with the artist as they took a stroll on their evening Thursday walk. We discussed their background, meeting singer Artemas after a viral TikTok, and what it means to be a Hot Girl.
This interview is edited for length and clarity.
TB(The Basement). So, we’re both in the Eastern time zone at the time of this interview. Where are you right now?
IP(In Phases). I’m in North Carolina, specifically near Charlotte.
TB. Is that where you’re from?
IP. No, I'm actually from—I guess backstory—I was born in Jamaica and moved to South Florida when I was about 8 years old.
TB. How was moving from Jamaica to the States?
IP. It was a culture shock, I mean it’s not like I had to learn a new language but Jamaicans have an accent and certain dialect. So it is English and you can understand to an extent but being different and sounding different… It was a bit off, a bit weird for me. It wasn't too rough. It wasn't too bad. It's a different culture.
TB. I dove into your background, and I read that your grandfather was a jazz musician in Jamaica. So that makes sense now. Is that where you get your musical abilities from?
IP. [Laughs] Yo, that's crazy that you found that.
TB. Trying my best to pull a Nardwaur here!
IP. So, I think he was the one. For one Christmas, I got a drum set. It was a tiny First Act, little thing. I think it was my granddad who got that for me. If not, he definitely got me my first guitar. He's an influence that pretty much got me into it. Then my older brother, I pretty much watched what he did. He got into music first, but I'm the one who kept going with it. We were also actually in a band together. I was in middle school, he was in high school, and we had the same friend group. We were in a post-hardcore metal band together.
TB. Would that band be titled Nu Metrics?
IP. Shoot, when was that? I think that was high school. That was before this one. You'd have to go on Facebook for that. This one was called the Gettysburg Address.
TB. So, I was listening to your music, I noticed that you are the only person credited on a majority of your songs, until recently, with your producer Waylo. When and how did it all first start for you? Did you always seek to be well-versed in producing?
IP. That goes off of how I started. I got my first instruments and it wasn't until later in middle school when my brother started using digital audio workspaces (DAWs). The first one he got was Reaper or something like that. I was like, “Okay, this is cool.” So in middle school, I started to record myself. I just kept going. I tried different software like Studio One and now I'm using Logic. I taught myself and just kind of figured it out on my own.
TB. You mentioned Logic, let’s talk gear. What's in your arsenal right now? What are you using to make your music as far as DAWs and instruments?
IP. Nothing crazy. I have my little interface, the Focusrite. I just went to Guitar Center and got the most affordable one that was also high quality for what it was. As for the mic, I have the Shure SM7B, like everyone else. I have an Ibanez bass that I rarely record. I usually record synth bass. It's just easier that way for me. And then I play my strat, my Mexican Stratocaster.
TB. I have to tell you, your cover of New Woman by LISA, Switching Sides, and Move Your Body are some of my favorites. I get PVRIS Vibes, sort of Chase Atlantic in terms of more alluding suggestive lyrics. Where are you drawing inspiration from musically and lyrically?
IP. Well, it’s changed a lot. As I've matured, I realized that before when I was dropping music, I was just like, “Fuck it. I just want to put music out.” It was definitely more introspective and experimental with the lyrics and themes. I have a song called “Slow Poke” which kind of gives like a Billie Eilish vibe because that’s when I was listening to her. I also didn't care for lyrics. I just said whatever. I then realized I could make some kind of story about it. Those older songs are also usually about anxiety. It's usually about wanting to make it and getting to the dream. I think “Lights Down” is when I started to sing more about like relationships. And then I started leaning into it more as I got a little older. “Move Your Body” is just like a fun party song but it's also leaned into more sensual stuff.
TB. You’ve said you grew up listening rock/metal? Right? What bands were you into? Florida has produced some amazing rock and metal bands.
IP. Yeah, definitely. My favorite band was The Word Alive. I don't think a lot of people knew them like that. I listened to Asking Alexandria, Attack Attack!. I like the heavier stuff as well. There's a band called Humanity's Last Breath that are heavy shit too. I was in the scene crowd for sure.
TB. In August of 2024, you posted a cover of “i like the way you kiss me” by Artemas on TikTok. It has garnered over 38,000 likes and 5300 shares since then. (Your solo is sick by the way) A couple of months later, in October, you shared a photo of you holding a newspaper with the words, “MY COVER OF YOUR SONG WENT VIRAL” next to Artemas himself. What was your life like from posting the video in August to October, and how did you end up meeting him?
IP. I promise it sounds way more impressive [laughs.] I was just kind of frustrated with the TikTok thing. I was like, “Yo, nothing's working with original stuff.” So I thought, “Let me take a break and just have fun with this cover.” I actually posted two covers that day. I posted “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter which did okay (less than 100 likes, but that was good for me), and ‘i like the way you kiss me.’ That one started doing well and got to about 1,000 likes organically. I thought, “Alright, let me put some money behind it.” I spent $16 in total for it to be sponsored and it just kept growing.
By that point, I had already bought tickets to see Artemas since he was in North Carolina. My partner suggested I do something to get his attention, so she came up with the idea of the newspaper. We painted it and before we even went to the concert, a couple weeks earlier, he saw it on his For You page. He liked it and even commented on one of my other posts. We went to the concert and I held the sign up during the show. The drummer saw it and looked excited at first but then just kept playing—probably because they’re used to that sort of thing.
After the show, Artemas had a meet-and-greet in the back of the venue. We went up, and I showed him the sign. I asked, ‘Do you remember me?’ He was really nice, very in the moment and not rushing anyone. I mentioned the cover of ‘i like the way you kiss me’ that he had commented on and he said, “I loved it.” I didn’t know if he remembered me but it was nice to hear. He asked me to send him the video again, so I DM’d him that night. He didn’t see it, but it was fine—he had already seen the video. That was my last interaction with him. I also met Asal, the artist who was opening for him.
TB. Wow, you never know where things could take you when you put it out there!
IP. I always say just ask because you never know if someone's gonna say yes.
TB. That wasn’t your first taste of a video blowing up, though. Your cover of “Copycat” by Billie Eilish got attention on YouTube a while ago. Does going viral still have that excitement? How does going viral benefit you in terms of being motivated to make and continue to put out music?
IP. Yes absolutely. The most recent time with the Artemas cover, I was in shock. It gives you this feeling I refer to as when I worked in sales and made my first sale, like $1,000 in pocket. You never think you can do that—you see other people do it and think, “Oh, that’d be nice,” but then it happens to you, and you’re like, “Holy shit.” But then, in the back of your head, you know it’s not going to last. So I soaked it up. I made sure to keep reposting and dropped the song as quick as I could. I genuinely liked the cover I made and I can listen to it every day. There was definitely pressure, but also so much accomplishment and you just feel like you're on a high for a bit. It’s just disbelief, like, ‘How did this happen to me?”
Then there was the copycat cover. I forgot about that one. It was the same thing. I liked the song, decided to cover it, and boom, dropped it. My brother shot the video in Florida. We shot it in a warehouse in just a couple of hours. It was freezing cold. During the shoot, a Dodge Charger drove by—people often take their cars back there because it’s empty and there aren’t many cops. The guy asked, 'What are you guys doing?' We said, 'We’re shooting a video.' And we asked if he wanted to be in it, so his car ended up in the video. It was so sick. It’s crazy how things line up like that.
It felt the same when it was doing well on YouTube, but it didn’t hit as hard as TikTok. YouTube wasn’t as personal. I was younger, not as hungry for the music thing. It was cool but it didn’t feel as tangible. It just didn’t have the same effect as now."
TB. “Hot Girl Moshpit” is the title of your newest EP, featuring "Move Your Body," "Switching Sides," "Obsessed," and "One More Night." You quote: "I've recently introduced the term ‘Hot Girl Moshpit’ as my stylistic vision of making music hot girls can mosh to." Why is that so important to you? And what’s considered a Hot Girl?
IP. [Laughs] Honestly, anyone could be a hot girl. It's not like a literal hot girl, because it's all subjective, right? But I definitely want people to feel like hot girls when they're listening to my music. I've had a few comments on Tiktok like, “Oh, I feel 10 times hotter listening to the song,” and that's the point. Like, I want you to feel good. I imagine being at a house party/show, putting on a concert and people are vibing. I just thought of that because the music I make currently, it has the my influences of rock, heavier stuff, with also the sensual sexy side. Hot Girl Mosh Pit rolls off the tongue. It's cool. It catches your attention.
TB. The music industry, in my opinion, doesn’t have enough sapphic artists singing/rapping about loving women as a woman. So I thank you for being yourself and putting out the music you do. Do you have any advice for listeners who may identify with your music?
IP. I get so passionate about it and I'm starting to write music about it now—the music that's to come, to get more real and deep again. I'm really passionate about how people are treated, especially the sapphic community. They're demoralized and how they're just mistreated for existing, it’s enraging. I feel like I can't do anything or say anything because I'm physically small but I have music, something I can actually use to connect with people and to build them up. I want people to let go of their rage through the music, in a safe way, and bring them together that way.
I hope one day I can tour and meet people from my community, from our community, and just empower them. I want shows to be spaces where people can go crazy and let loose for a little bit. I hope the hot girl mosh pit becomes a movement, not just an album or EP, but something deeper that cements itself in history. I just want to bring comfort to people and give them an outlet to feel like a hot girl, or rage, or whatever they need.
TB. What’s your dream collaboration?
IP. That's changed as my music has changed. I love Twenty One Pilots. They’re my favorite band. I've seen them live three or four times and I aspire to have great shows like them one day. If I could do like a top three, then also Pvris… There's also this duo called Sad Night Dynamite from the UK. You should check them out. They're really fucking good and I take influence from them.
TB. Earlier, you did mention touring. I was going to ask, when the time comes that you're inevitably touring the country, are you ever going to travel by plane? I read that you hate flying.
IP. Oh, my god, no, dude, you cannot pay me… Well, you can. I'm just not going to enjoy it at all. You can't take a bus overseas but nationwide, I would probably take a bus. I also have back pain, so sitting so long is a terrible time. I've never flown first class but I'm sure that's a little nicer. Honestly, the motivation of flying would be that I'm gonna go perform and meet fans and supporters.
TB. A new thing we’re doing at the end of every Basement Find interview is where I ask: Who’s your Basement Find? Whether it’s a modern small artist you listen to or maybe even a Brazilian funk band from the 70s that you found by thrifting records.
IP. I found a guy named Blak Swan on TikTok, he’s lowkey but he’s doing his thing. I would also say Sad Night Dynamite. They’re still underground, but I think they could be bigger.
Keep up with In Phases with this link to all platforms.
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Great article!