Phwoar - Flowers Through the Concrete EPK

Flowers Through the Concrete (UPC: 199088609516) - About the EP

Flowers Through the Concrete is the band’s first EP as PHWOAR. The EP’s five tracks explore ways of finding hope in the world’s darkening spaces, a dose of alternative indie rock catharsis that ranges from disco-punk grooves to shimmering rock ballads. The band’s energetic EP, although only a brief 16-minute odyssey into the PHWOAR sound, will stick with you long after you’ve listened.

In brief:

Flowers Through the Concrete is an EP about resilience. It explores hope as a form of rebellion.

Track listing:

1 - Reckless

2 - Surge

3 - Waiting for the Sun

4 - Flowers Through the Concrete

5 - Tryhard

PHWOAR - BIO

Hi! We're PHWOAR (pronounced 'F-war'), a fizzy alternative indie rock two-piece from Birmingham, with DIY sensibilities and catchy tunes.

Extra information: PHWOAR are Helena pounding drums and Paul thrashing guitar, with both sharing the vocal duties. We are Brummie banter and Northern grit forged anew in the cauldron of life.

Exciting things are happening in 2025, from the release our EP 'Flowers Through the Concrete' to our first UK headline tour in autumn.

The record was written and produced by ourselves, PHWOAR, with Adrian Hall (Tori Amos, Nova Twins, Depeche Mode) also producing, as well as mixing and mastering.

All photos and logos on this page are downloadable by right-clicking (CREDITS: Sunglasses and jungle shirt photos are attributable to photographer Waes Kay. All other photos and imagery should be credited to Paul Stafford of PHWOAR). Many thanks. And by all means, reach out to us at phwoarband@gmail.com to say hi, ask questions or share your fave recipe.

LISTEN LINKS

Ideally, we'd love for you to link to our Spotify page or, if you're a Hype Machine-listed blog, please include a Bandcamp link in the article and we'll be eternally grateful.

Once the EP is live, we'll add a link to a page with links to PHWOAR on all music platforms.

PHWOAR'S SOCIALS

Reckless - Lyric

I used to think I would make something of myself
Everybody thinks they’re smarter than everyone else
Been cooped up in this warren, a burden to myself
And still I'm green as grass

Don’t care about your follows
I kinda like your memes
But did it ever happen if I can’t watch it on screen?
I’m feelin’ kinda lonely
The tech don’t work for me
But I’m starved for interaction with the friends I never see

Yeaaaaa
I’m feelin’ kinda reckless
Oh babe I couldn’t care less
Cos I’m feelin’ kinda reck reck reck reck reck reckless
I confess, I’m feeling reckless

I’m feeling drunk on all this information
Starting to feel numb with all this faux-participation
Reality is something I can’t grab and just hold on
It melts like snow in rain

I think I’ve got a problem
It looks like addiction
But how do you get sober when it afflicts everyone?
I’m talking to the robots
Communing with the sun
I want to break free, yea I’m about to come undone

Yeaaaaa
I’m feeling kinda reckless
Yea babe I couldn’t care less
Cos I’m feelin’ kinda reck reck reck reck reck reckless
Yeaaaaa
I’m feeling kinda reckless
We owe it to ourselves yeah

Don’t settle for anything less
Than complete, messy, pure reckless
Don’t settle for anything less
Than complete, messy, pure reckless

Surge - Lyric

Organs, blood and bone
Things they would love to control
Lied to, sick mirage
Worked long hours, overcharged

Surge, Surge, Surge
Surge, Surge, S-s-s-Surge

Keep calm, carry on
That’s the message from the crown
Violence in the streets
Bile is boiling up beneath
This pie is getting sliced ever thinner
How’d the biggest bits wind up with the sinners?
Power worries that we’ll try to deprive it
But power’s the one that does all the depriving

Watching the well run dry
Knowing the flowers will die
Watching the well run dry
Until the storm

Surge, Surge, Surge
Surge, Surge, S-s-s-Surge

One plus one is three
Drifting to insanity
Three times ten is one
Grifted to oblivion

This puppet’s got strings
They love to play with those things
But my scissors cut strings
Cut strings

Surge

Surge, Surge, Surge
Surge, Surge, S-s-s-Surge
Surge, Surge, Surge
Surge, Surge, S-s-s-Surge

Waiting for the Sun - Lyric

Black skies
Pouring weather
Assorted hats
Faux leather
An animal
Conforms whatever the sky does
I'm animal
I can’t control my innocence

I’m waiting for the sun
I’m waiting for the sun
I’m waiting for the sun
I’m waiting

The snake bites
Poisoned letters
Cracked ice
I’m feeling better

It’s radical
Positivity at night
It’s radical
But so’s the dawning of the light

I’m waiting for the sun
I’m waiting for the sun
I’m waiting for the sun
I’m waiting

Sometimes I’m just treading water
Grip the bare branch hold on tight
Sometimes I’m just treading water
Gonna kick with all my might

I’m waiting for the sun
I’m waiting for the sun
I’m waiting for the sun
I’m waiting

Ah wooo
Ah wooo
Ah wooo (ohhhhhh)
I’m waiting for the sun (Ah wooo)
I’m waiting for the sun (Ah wooo)
I’m waiting for the sun (Ah ohhhhhh)
I’m waiting

Flowers Through the Concrete - Lyric

It seems sometimes
We can’t have nice things anymore
Like peace of mind
And unity instead of war
We push up like flowers through the concrete
Some people have forgotten what makes life sweet
I remember every little detail
Remember
Remember

A river to oblivion
With empty heads and wagging tongues

Opinions
Like weeds, they blight our battered shores
Like rusted bombs
Wait to explode with deadly force
We push up like flowers through the concrete
Some people have forgotten what makes life sweet
I remember every little detail
Remember
Remember

A river to oblivion
With empty heads and wagging tongues

They said the grass will be much greener if you burn the field that we are in
So they poured the gasoline while all the people clapped their leaders on
Then the people started bitching moaning fretting
About the system that they knew that they were getting
Like they forgot, forgot, forgot
Yea they forgot

A river to oblivion (flowers through the concrete)
With empty heads and wagging tongues

They said the grass will be much greener if you burn the field that we are in
So they poured the gasoline while all the people clapped their leaders on
Then the people started bitching moaning fretting
About the system that they knew that they were getting
I remember
I remember

Tryhard - Lyric

Tryna make an effort, did you ever stop to be genuine?
Your passion’s not in question
Fake it ‘til you break it, scrap metal, start all over again
Next time might be different
Don’t contrive, don’t pre-script, don’t deflate

This world’s run by imitators
Insecure little dictators
Can I get through this
Without the grim manipulators?
‘Cos I’m tired of this baseness
Of these posey-wosey fakers
Thinking they’re Die Hard
They all talk like haters
Petty bourgeois agitators
Give ‘em Nakatomi Plaza
And you’ll see they’re all just fakers
When it growls like a ‘gator
But can’t chew through soggy paper
Well they’re tryhard

Suffering from imposter syndrome’s normal when you’re out of your zone
Hard to know what’s normal
Trust yourself enough though ‘cos you made it all this way on your own
Your normal’s not been done yet
Don’t contrive, don’t pre-script, don’t deflate

This world’s run by imitators
Insecure little dictators
Can I get through this
Without the grim manipulators?
‘Cos I’m tired of the baseness
Of these posey-wosey fakers
Thinking they’re Die Hard
They all talk like haters
Petty bourgeois agitators
Give ‘em Nakatomi Plaza
And you’ll see they’re all just fakers
When it growls like a ‘gator
But can’t chew through soggy paper
Well they’re tryhard

I’m too old, I’m too weak
I’m too poor, I’m too meek
I am so tryhard

This world’s run by imitators
Insecure little dictators
Can I get through this
Without the grim manipulators?
‘Cos I’m tired of this baseness
Of these posey-wosey fakers
Thinking they’re Die Hard
They all talk like haters
Petty bourgeois agitators
Give ‘em Nakatomi Plaza
You’ll see they’re all just fakers
When it growls like a ‘gator
But can’t chew through soggy paper
Well they’re just tryhard

Maybe we’re tryhard