Autophøbia is NØMADS‘ newest synth-driven ‘Phøbiac’ track for September. Autophobia is the fear or being alone or isolated, and is perhaps the most prevalent and human fear of all clinical phobias in modern psychology. The fear of being alone colors everything from our behavioral patterns to our concept of what constitutes a happy, organized life. Many of us are afraid of being obsolete, and/or of dying without companionship. Autophobia is the feeling of being the last person on earth.
In the song, the post-punk duo envisions a young narrator gazing into the future at a photograph of himself as an old man, sitting alone in a chair; his reflection is the knife dividing a picture of a life alone, nearing its end, and a present tense image of his own youth. NØMADS’ frontman Nathan Lithgow (also of My Brightest Diamond) and the infinitely talented drummer Brian Wolfe (David Byrne & St. Vincent, The Dap Kings) filmed the video as part of their Live In Pittsburgh series, which was shot in the cavernous shadows of an abandoned Catholic school’s furnace room, executed in one full take with no edits.
The studio version of Autophøbia will be found on NØMADS’ forthcoming ‘Phøbiac Part 2’ EP, which will be out in early 2018 following the release of ‘Phøbiac Part 1’ before the end of 2017.
