Phantogram

The deeply emotional electronic pop of Phantogram revolves around Sarah Barthel's powerful vocals, which tower over their insistent, hip-hop-inspired left-field pop sound that's built on booming beats, washes of synths, and the occasional jagged guitar riff. Their early records, like 2010's Eyelid Movies, had a murky, trip-hop approach. Starting with 2014's Voices, they transitioned to an arena-sized sound that ended up on the radio and in video games commercials. They teamed up with Big Boi to form Big Grams and broke into the Top Ten of the Billboard albums chart with 2016's Three. The duo continued to blend dark emotions and sonic hooks on their own albums like 2020's Ceremony and 2024's Dilla- and shoegaze-inspired Memory of a Day.

Founded in 2007 and based in Saratoga Springs, New York, Phantogram is comprised of longtime friends Josh Carter (guitar, vocals) and Sarah Barthel (keyboards, vocals), who hail from the nearby small town of Greenwich, New York. Originally known as Charlie Everywhere and associated with the local independent label Sub-Bombin Records, the duo released the eponymous Phantogram EP in March 2009 and sparked widespread interest with two songs in particular, "Mouthful of Diamonds" and "When I'm Small."

The band subsequently released the Running from the Cops EP in May 2009 on BBE Records. Phantogram finally made their full-length album debut with Eyelid Movies (2010), an 11-track LP featuring the four previously released songs "Mouthful of Diamonds," "When I'm Small," "Running from the Cops," and "Bloody Palms." The album was released internationally by BBE Records and Barsuk Records in the U.S., and it was released on vinyl by Ghostly International. The duo returned in late 2011 with the Nightlife EP, which sold well enough to hit the lower reaches of the U.S. charts. They continued to tour heavily, but found the time to collaborate with OutKast's Big Boi on his second album, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumours (2012), and were also featured on the Flaming Lips track "Young Lust" in 2013.

Phantogram's success continued in when fan favorite "When I'm Small" appeared on the MTV adaptation of the hit U.K. show Skins and they released a four-song, self-titled EP. Toward the end of 2013, they returned to Upstate New York and began to write and record their second full-length album. The pair traveled to L.A. to put the finishing touches on Voices with producer John Hill (Santigold, M.I.A.). It was released by their new label, Republic, in early 2014. After the band toured and did promotional appearances for the record -- which almost reached the Billboard Top Ten, stalling out at a rather impressive number 11 -- they rekindled their relationship with Big Boi. The trio hit the studio and emerged with a new name -- Big Grams -- and a self-titled EP. Featuring guests like Skrillex and Run the Jewels, the album reached number 38 on the Billboard charts.

The duo enjoyed the process of collaboration so much that they chose for the first time to invite outside musicians to participate in the sessions for Phantogram's third album, which featured Darby Cicci of the Antlers, superstar session drummer Matt Chamberlain, Dan Wilson of Semisonic fame, and Ricky Reed (aka Wallpaper). Three was released by Republic in October 2016 and was their highest charting to date, peaking at number nine on the Billboard 200. Two years later, they released "Someday" b/w "Saturday," with proceeds donated to suicide prevention.

The duo released three singles in 2019: "Into Happiness," "Mister Impossible," and "In a Spiral"; all three appeared on their 2020 album Ceremony. Recorded in studios and at home in Los Angeles, the songs documented the duo's personal struggles and eventual journey to a better place. It was released in early 2020 by Republic and reached 75 on the Billboard 200 and number five on the Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums chart. That same year, they contributed the song "Me & Me" to the soundtrack to Netflix's horror comedy A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting and in 2021, appeared on the Tom Morello song "Driving to Texas."

Following that flurry of activity, the duo began work on their fifth album Memory of a Day with Voices producer John Hill and collaborators Dan Wilson and Mikky Ekko. The record took stock of the ups and downs of their career and personal lives while expanding their musical approach to include post-punk influences and shoegaze textures. It was released in late 2024 by their new label benefactor Neon Gold just as the duo was finishing up a tour with Kings of Leon. ~ Jason Birchmeier & Tim Sendra