A New Record You Should Check Out
Laura Hobson of Phabies stops by to chat about The Curse of Caring, the band's latest release
Good morning!
We’re in for a treat today! Laura Hobson of Grand Rapids-based Phabies stops by to talk about their latest record, how it all came together, and what’s coming next.
When a reader first tipped me off to Phabies, I wasn't sure what to expect. I initially thought this would be a band well suited to a punk band or co-headlining shows with The Germs. That's what I get for judging a group by its name.
The band's sound is nowhere near that. Their sophomore LP, The Curse of Caring, leans much more toward indie pop, with bright sounds and playful pop coursing through it: more sunshine, less low ceilings.
The odds are extremely high that you’ll get at least one of these songs stuck in your head for a day or two. They’re just that catchy. It’s an album that’s one of my faves of 2025. But that breezy sound contrasts with some heavy lyrics. Throughout the 10 songs, bandleader Laura Hobson tackles a menu of serious topics. "Who's gonna save us now?" she asks on opener "Blooms of April."
Who indeed?
"I've always felt a duty to create something out of nothing," says Hobson. "Changing a grass lawn into a native ecosystem or playing three chords to create a song."
On "Green Cement," she asks us, Are we doing it right? Are we doing it right? / Pave the kingdom for an endless supply?"
I can't answer that, but also? We're not.
There is an urgency there, but The Curse of Caring isn't a downer of a record. Hobson's got strong thoughts and some unflinching takes, but they're never preachy. It's the opposite, leaving the listener full of hope and looking for a light at the end of the tunnel. We might be heading straight over the waterfall, but we can love one another right up until the end.
And we can spin some killer records like The Curse of Caring.
I recently had a chance to speak with Hobson via email. In our wide-ranging chat, we cover the Phabies origin story, the Grand Rapids scene, the record's sound, and what's next for the band. The discussion has only been lightly edited for grammar and flow.
KA—
For those that might not know, can you quickly walk us through the backstory of how the band came together?
Yes! Phabies was started by me (Laura Hobson) in 2018. I had been looking for a way back into playing music for years prior to solidifying the group. I had an enormous backlog of music but no one to play it with and I wasn’t interested in debuting these new songs as a singer/songwriter. The band clicked into place through long-lasting friendships. My partner Garrett Stier is the bassist and manager and my college buddy Josh Holicki plays drums. The three of us have played in the group Jack Droppers and the Best Intentions for a long time. I’ve known both of them for over a decade, so there’s a familiarity that makes practices and shows just feel like hanging out. Josh knew Max McKinnon from touring with his band Mertle and Max was able to join on synth/keys. In 2024, we welcomed Andrew Deters on guitar and he’s the most thoughtful guy. He’ll literally call you if he’s thinking about you.
Congrats on the new record! Was the approach similar to the last record (2022's Fire Seed), or did you set out to make something wholly different?
Thanks for listening to the new album! The Curse Of Caring was in many ways much more difficult to write than Fire Seed, simply because I had that notion of the “sophomore slump” in my head. Feeling pressure to follow any creative endeavor with something even more unique, special, or exciting puts a tremendous amount of pressure on you. I was able to find a way out of my own head with help from friends who let me stay at their house and use their space as a quasi artist residency. It was a rejuvenating time and I wrote, or at least started, nearly half of the album while down there.
Fire Seed felt like a collection of songs that I used to explore the notion of songwriting. The songs each have their own unique flavor, as we were still a young band trying to hone in on our sound. The Curse Of Caring has a lot more intention, there are through-lines if you sit down with the lyrics.
During the recording of the album when I was intensely immersed, I made this murder map where I wrote all the lyrics out by hand and connected similar thoughts and through-lines with red string to get an overall feel for what I was trying to say. I’d like to think that each new album will just be tighter and more cohesive as the writing becomes stronger.
What's the songwriting process look like? What generally comes first, the music or the lyrics?
Believe it or not, the lyrics and music usually come together at exactly the same time. It’s almost hard to practice new chords, scales, or tunings because as soon as I start learning, my brain goes off into creative overdrive. In a way, it’s a blessing, but when I’m just trying to practice it can feel like a procrastination technique I use to fight boredom. I never write any lyrics down ahead of time, with the exception of the song “Tell Her” from our new album. For me, it’s too clunky and rigid to force-fit lyrics into a melody. It always ends up trying to sound too profound or intellectual. I prefer for the lyrics and melody to evolve together so they feel tailored, like a couture suit.
“Tell Her” was the exception because it was written for an assignment given by Phil Elverum through School of Song. The assignment was to wake up uncomfortably early, meditate for 10 minutes, and then free write what you feel (not what you think you feel) for 5 minutes. We were then instructed to organize our writing into haibun (a chunk of prose ending in a haiku). The song came out almost completely formed, I only edited a few words and added the haiku onto the end.
I’m not sure if I’d get that lucky again, but this interview just reminded me about the process, so maybe I’ll try it out soon.
On “I Care For You” there’s a (very catchy) line that goes, “There's too much city in you now/We gotta get out of this town/There′s too much city in you now/Ain't gonna lose ya to the crowd.” I found myself singing it here and there over the course of a couple of days. What was the inspiration behind that verse? Is it simply a call to get away from all the concrete and back to nature, or is there a more abstract message here?
I love singing these lines because they have a very special memory attached to them. As I mentioned earlier, I had help from my friends when I was feeling daunted by what felt like an enormous creative endeavor. My friends Jake & Merilee let me stay at their home in Cincinnati for a week to help shake up the monotony of my own life, as I had been feeling stuck.
Jake arranged all of these fun things to do & I met and spoke with a woman who is a forensic psychiatrist and bee-keeper trying to save a forest in Cincinnati from being cut down for a dog park. I had lunch and saw “Stop Making Sense” in a group with Bryan Devendorf (drummer for The National) and watched films late into the night with Jake & Merilee (Children of the Corn, The Descent, They Live, Babadook, Event Horizon, The Mothman Prophecies).
Merilee and I went on a guided mushroom identification hike led by the parks department through the old-growth forest. On the hike, I overheard a woman lamenting about modern times, gesturing around at the forest saying, “These kids have too much city in ‘em these days! No one remembers this stuff. It used to be that when you lived in rural places, you’d know everything that came with each season.”
I knew immediately I would be incorporating the summarized phrase “there’s too much city in you now” into the chorus of I Care For You. It was the missing piece that I had been searching for, and it was gifted to me in that moment! It’s so special when things like that happen, that’s why it’s so important to shake up your routine. I never would have heard that woman if I had stayed fighting with my own brain in Grand Rapids. I still would have finished it, but the song would have been something else, entirely.
Grand Rapids, MI. isn’t on a lot of people’s radar. What should we know about the city? What’s the scene like there?
I’m hesitant to talk up my city too much for selfish reasons. I like that it’s not too crowded yet, haha. I think it’s like a miniature Austin, TX but with snow and very impressive and welcoming environmental movements.
I’m thinking specifically of Pleasant Peninsula, a national mural festival whose purpose is to fuel conservation and environmental education efforts. It was started by Eddie Chauffer a few years back but has turned into a full-blown music, art, education, and mural fest.
There’s a laid-back happiness to the people here. I know all my baristas by name and love seeing them. Grand Rapids still very much feels like a small town but with incredible coffee. Every time I leave the house, I run into someone I know. These built-in interactions provide just enough human connection to brighten my mood.
The music scene has always been here, but lately it feels like it’s become connected in more meaningful, exciting ways. When you’re in any place for over a decade, you become familiarized with the people and places around you. I take it for granted that we still have mid-size independent venues who don’t take merch cuts. Musicians have to work unfairly hard to make a living in any place, but at least in Grand Rapids, it’s still semi-affordable. I’m not running myself into the ground just to pay rent. Living here, I get to set my own pace. I love working with local photographers, videographers, and artists who feel like hidden gems.
The Grand Rapids scene feels like quality over quantity to me. Those who are creating are committed to it and it shows. Sometimes they make the jump to bigger cities, sometimes they stay. I stayed because I feel useful here, I have a lot of purpose in my own neighborhood and I like to feel helpful.
What's next for Phabies? Any shows? Touring? What's the back half of 2025 look like?
Hey, if you’re a band who’s further down the road than us and is looking for an opener to take along on tour, we’re interested. We’re not on a label, so Garrett’s been DIY-booking all of our shows so far and I bet he’s tired.
We’d love to tour and bring our music to more of the Midwest and beyond. I’m hoping to play in Chicago and Indianapolis again this year (nothing booked yet). If I’m allowed to dream for a second, the hope would be to tour somewhere warm during the winter months opening for a band in the the 500-1,000 seat range.
We are playing up in the Keweenaw Peninsula this August at a music festival called Farm Block. I’m excited about that show because I haven’t been that far North in over 5 years.
Last one, just for fun; I bump into you as you're walking out of the record store. What records are you carrying?
“Oh, hey - what’s up, Kevin!” I found this record with a woman’s face on it in the $1 bin - I have no idea what kind of music it is and I can’t find anything online, but it’ll probably be fun to listen to. This other record is one I’ve been meaning to purchase for a long time, but haven’t been able to find because they’re an indie Melbourne-based songwriter. I put it on special order and it finally came in :) The album is “Some Kind Of Control” by Ruby Gill, I love the song about the chimpanzees.
Listen:
Phabies | The Curse of Caring, 2025
Click the picture to listen via Bandcamp
Hit Bandcamp to grab your copy of the record, and connect with them via their website and Instagram.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Is this a new band to you? Sound off in the comments or send me an email- I read every one of ‘em.
Thank you to Laura for her time, and thank you for being here.
Kevin—
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Really enjoyed the album and the interview, thanks Kevin!!
Great interview! I love how she described her songwriting process. Particularly, the story behind the line "there's too much city in you now". Fascinating stuff.