"Blending elements of rap, metal, post-punk, Americana and bedroom pop, Pyrophoria creates memorable tunes, with lyrics that are funny, caustic, and inspiring… When an artist is this prolific, and the quality is so high, you just have to pay attention.”
-Totally Radio
About
About
Pyrophoria is the one-woman band of Atlanta musician Jess Hambrick—hundreds of songs across 11 genres. From post-punk and garage rock to metal and rap, Pyrophoria pairs hooks with razor-sharp lyrics and a DIY ethic.
Discover Pyrophoria's collection on Bandcamp.
Pyrophoria, aka Atlanta Georgia’s Jessica Hambrick, is one of the most prolific artists of our age. A genre bending one-woman band, in 2021 alone, she released a staggering 23 full length albums on Bandcamp. Of course this wouldn’t count for anything if the music itself wasn’t so deeply impressive.
-Heaven's Lathe
"‘The Goodest & Worst’ EP is Pyrophoria’s debut vinyl release and it showcases something of her range. If ‘Goodest Day’ is warped feelgood pop, then ‘Needle’ sounds like Mazzy Star at their darkest. Meanwhile ‘The Worst’ is a twisted torch song, and ‘Garden’ is a grunge fueled stormer. Yet, throughout them all, Hambrick’s lyrics remain rooted in a searingly honest soul searching."
THE UNKNOWN GENRE:
an interview with Pyrophoria
What does the catalog of Pyrophoria sound like to you? Lyrically? The DSM-V ran out of pages. Picture Sylvia Plath writing an odyssey with Ray Bradbury—call that a syllabus of collapse. That’s me. Plus jokes. Musically? The closest the streaming platforms have come to describing it is by tagging me as “Others” Sometimes, Wellness. If you ask me what genre I am I flat out say I don’t know. No one does. You’re a one-woman band. What does that really look like behind the scenes? Behind the scenes, it doesn’t look pretty. It’s me in the middle of the night, in my home studio in pjs, trying to make the most bizarre song of all time. Screaming into the microphone and then laughing at how bad it was. Recording violin at a second semester 6th grader level. It usually starts with the lyrics. Then I decide what genre. Then I build the song one instrument at a time. Then I crash the computer with 400 plugins. Usually, it comes out fine. Do you ever feel pressure to narrow down your sound? Short answer? I made 600 songs and never thought anyone would hear them. Long answer? My greatest weakness — or superpower — is that I bore myself. In 2019 I bought a $60 drum machine and synthesizer off Amazon, and my music went downhill ever since. By that, I mean: it opened a door. I went from *sad acoustic funeral dirge* to a “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” industrial metal cover. In 2021, I had so much to say I started rapping. People obsess over what box they fit into. But thinking about the box is still thinking inside it. Just take it, and run with it. So your mind stops screaming. What do your songs remember that people might miss if they only listen once? Honestly, if they forgot the song— I did something wrong. The point of a song is to have something to say and bring that to life. Are you the same "Pyrophoria" credited by Apple for security updates? Yes, actually. I took special interest in "Lockdown Mode," the highest security offered for journalists, public activists, and public figures. It is my greatest honor to have contributed to these protections. May those who change the world never be silenced.
WHAT WOULD THE WARNING LABEL ON A PYROPHORIA ALBUM SAY?
That reminds me of Pandora Radio asking me to leave an audio message to play before my song:
"Hello, you're listening to Pyrophoria...
Good luck."