Paul Gill's debut as Purbeck Temple arrives with the weight of lived experience etched into every note. The Agoraphobia Files is not just an album but a book of survival, a musical record of the gloomiest depths of the trauma and the path of agonizing recovery towards light.
Taping this whole thirteen-track compilation in his own home studio, Gill plays almost every instrument himself, which makes the intimacy both the weak point and the strong one. The emotional weight of a person who has had to face mortality and come out a changed man is brought out through his voice which is gravelly and yet soaring, pained but persistent. This lo-fi sound of the production is not a style but a simple act of necessity, which gives the work a sense of authenticity that would never be created at the hands of a standard studio.
The most impressive thing is the nakedness of Gill. Songs such as No Hard Feelings strike a balance between sarcasm and sadness, and other compositions such as Emptiness in Paradise and Anger and Religion walk the difficult path of recovery, loneliness and self-denial. The music is not overloaded with instruments and the narration takes a center-stage. The somewhat gritty soundscape is created by thumping drums and guitar riffs and reflects the coarseness of the subject matter.
In all this, Gill is incredibly emotionally expressive, both in his devastating vulnerability and his sudden humour, depicting the entire gamut of human strength. It is not music aimed at making it to the top of the charts or winning critical awards; it is therapy brought to life where an artist transforms years of adversity into something worthwhile and to be shared.
The Agoraphobia Files is a testament of a creative power of creativity despite unimaginable adversity. The fact that Gill has tried to create beauty out of the traumatic experience, to discover a connection in the isolation, finds a deep truth in its sincerity. This album is not worth the attention due to the feeling of pity, but it is music that should be listened to simply because it had to be created.
