Phantogram (band)

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Phantogram

| image = Phantogram performing at Hopscotch.jpg

| caption = Phantogram at Hopscotch Music Festival in 2019

| alt =

| landscape = yes

| alias = Charlie Everywhere (2007–2009)

| origin = Greenwich, New York, U.S.

| genre = {{flatlist|

| years_active = 2007{{ndash}}present

| label = {{flatlist|

Sub-Bombin
CE
BBE
Barsuk
Indica
Ghostly
Republic}}

| associated_acts = Big Boi, the Flaming Lips, Miley Cyrus, Big Grams

| website = {{URL|phantogram.com}}

| current_members = * Sarah Barthel

Josh Carter

}}

Phantogram is an American music duo from Greenwich, New York,{{cite web|url=http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/discovery-phantogram-eyelid-movies|title=Discovery: Phantogram - Interview Magazine|date=October 28, 2010}} formed in 2007 and consisting of multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Sarah Barthel{{efn|group=lower-alpha|(/'bɑɹ.θɛl/ BAR-thel)}} and Josh Carter.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/phantogram-mn0002128228/biography|title=Phantogram - Biography|author=Jason Birchmeier|website=AllMusic|access-date=July 14, 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://nbhap.com/music/interviews/phantogram/|title=Interview: Phantogram - 'We don't really write happy songs'|author=Amanda Gray|website=Nbhap.com|date=June 23, 2014 }} Since 2009, the band has released five studio albums, four EPs, and numerous singles. Their third album, Three, reached top 10 on Billboard 200, while singles "Fall in Love" and "You Don't Get Me High Anymore" made top 10 on US Alternative.

The group have toured with the Antlers, Beach House, Metric, Minus the Bear, Caribou, Zero 7, the xx, Ra Ra Riot, School of Seven Bells, Yeasayer, Brazilian Girls, Future Islands and the Glitch Mob. They have played several major North American festivals including Austin City Limits, Osheaga, Coachella, Free Press Summer Fest, Sasquatch!, Bonnaroo, Hopscotch Music Festival, Treasure Island, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, LouFest, Bumbershoot, Summerfest and Firefly.

History

Carter and Barthel have been friends since preschool. Dissatisfied with pursuing a visual arts degree at Champlain College in Vermont, Barthel returned home in 2007 and reconnected with Carter after he returned from a brief stint in New York City with Grand Habit, an experimental band formed with his older brother, John. The two worked on finishing some of Carter's earlier songwriting ideas and formed the band, Charlie Everywhere.{{cite web|url=http://www.heyreverb.com/2010/05/07/the-reverb-interview-phantogram/|title=The Reverb Interview: Phantogram|last=Wenzel|first=John|date=May 7, 2010|publisher=The Reverb|access-date=August 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906124136/http://www.heyreverb.com/blog/2010/05/07/the-reverb-interview-phantogram/15564/|archive-date=September 6, 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://alarmpress.com/17981/features/music-interview/phantogram-dream-pop-duo-unifies-its-vision |title=Phantogram: Dream-Pop Duo Unifies Its Vision |last=Swanson |first=Charlie |date=November 5, 2010 |publisher=ALARM Press |access-date=August 29, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107223220/http://alarmpress.com/17981/features/music-interview/phantogram-dream-pop-duo-unifies-its-vision/ |archive-date=November 7, 2011 }} They played some live shows, but decided to focus the bulk of their energies on making records.

The duo was originally chose the name Charlie Everywhere and performed around the Saratoga Springs, New York area. They released two EPs on local label Sub-Bombin Records. After signing with UK label Barely Breaking Even (BBE) on January 26, 2009, they changed their name to Phantogram.{{cite web|url=http://www.myspace.com/phantogram/blog/466576539|title=We are now signed to BBE records!!!|last=Phantogram|date=January 26, 2009|publisher=MySpace|access-date=August 29, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://shyannessongs.wordpress.com/interviews/phantogram-interview|title=Phantogram Interview|date=March 16, 2011 |publisher=Shy Anne's Songs|access-date=August 29, 2011}}{{cite web|last=Furfaro |first=Danielle |url=http://blog.timesunion.com/localarts/charlie-everywhere-becomes-a-phantom/1609/ |title=Charlie Everywhere becomes a phantom - Arts Talk |website=Blog.timesunion.com |date=January 26, 2009 |access-date=August 22, 2016}} Carter suggested the name Phantogram when the band wanted to switch from Charlie Everywhere to "something [they] liked". Upon looking up phantogram, they found that it referred to an optical illusion in which two-dimensional images appear to be three-dimensional, and noted parallels between this meaning and their band and music.{{cite web|url=http://skidmoresec.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/interview-phantogram|title=Interview: Phantogram|last=Dafoe|first=Taylor|author2=Drew Litowitz|date=November 19, 2010|publisher=Skidmore SEC|access-date=December 2, 2018}}

An eponymous debut EP was self-released on the CE Records label on May 12, 2009,{{cite web|url=http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=160301158&blogId=488526213|title=May 12th!!!|author=|publisher=MySpace|access-date=June 16, 2009|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712153619/http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=160301158&blogId=488526213|archive-date=July 12, 2012|url-status=dead}} followed in the same year by another EP, Running From the Cops, issued on BBE. After encouragement from Erich Cannon of Portland's Spectre Entertainment, who heard songs on their MySpace page and contacted them, they signed with Barsuk Records in October 2009,{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Phantogram/status/4830525917 |title=Hey Folks! Phantogram is now signed to Barsuk Records!!! |author=Phantogram |publisher=Twitter |access-date=October 13, 2009}} "We were going to write the record, finish it, and release it as a demo for upstate," explained Barthel. "Then our plan was to move down to New York [City] to do the whole networking and meeting people kind of stuff. And we kind of skipped that whole thing, just because of the internet."{{cite web|title = Coming in from the Cold|url = http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/coming-in-from-the-cold/Content?oid=2917398|website = Portland Mercury|access-date = October 20, 2015}}

File:Phantogram live at Mohawk (2010).jpg

Phantogram released their debut album, Eyelid Movies, on September 15, 2009 with BBE in Europe and Indica Records in Canada. Barsuk released the album in the United States on February 9, 2010, and it received generally favorable reviews.{{cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/eyelid-movies | title=Eyelid Movies – Phantogram | publisher=Metacritic}} The album included three singles: "Mouthful of Diamonds", "When I'm Small" and "As Far as I Can See". For tours, they enlisted drummer Tim Oakley, formerly of the Mathematicians (where he played under the name Albert Gorithm IV), starting in 2010.{{cite web|last=Keck|first=Catie|title=Phantogram, The Duo Adds A Drummer|url=http://ethosmagonline.com/archives/6689|publisher=Ethosmagonline.com|access-date=May 10, 2011}}

A new EP, Nightlife, was released on November 1, 2011, which included the single "Don't Move". The following year, the duo collaborated with Big Boi from OutKast on three songs ("Objectum Sexuality", "CPU" and "Lines") from his second studio album, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, released in December 2012, and were credited as producers for the song "Objectum Sexuality". Phantogram were also featured on the Flaming Lips song "You Lust" from their 2013 album The Terror.

Nicholas Shelestak, a guitarist/synth player, was added to the touring band in 2013, while Chris Carhart replaced Oakley on drums.{{cite web|url=http://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2013/10/18/phantogram-live|title=Phantogram perform live in The Current studios|author=Mary Lucia, Leah Garaas|date=October 18, 2013|work=The Current from Minnesota Public Radio}}They opened for M83 at the Hollywood Bowl on September 22, 2013. Republic Records released the Phantogram EP,{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/phantogram-ep/id711838222 |title=ITunes - Music - Phantogram - EP by Phantogram |website=iTunes |access-date=October 5, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024085950/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/phantogram-ep/id711838222 |archive-date=October 24, 2013 }} along with the single "Black Out Days", on September 30, 2013. The band's second studio album, Voices, followed up on on February 18, 2014 by Barsuk/Republic, which included the singles "Bill Murray", 'Fall in Love", and "Nothing But Trouble".

File:Phantogram 7 04 2014 -1 (14577140975) (cropped).jpg

The band opened for Alt-J at Madison Square Garden on March 30, 2015. They contributed the song "K.Y.S.A" to the Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack in 2015; the track appeared in "The Lab" radio station, and was also included on the digital and physical versions of the Welcome to Los Santos album. The same year, Phantogram collaborated with Big Boi again, resulting in the seven-song EP Big Grams, released on September 25, 2015 by Epic Records. The EP featured production work from Big Boi, Phantogram, 9th Wonder and Skrillex. Barthel also guest appeared on the Miley Cyrus song "Slab of Butter (Scorpion)" from her album Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz. They toured the West Coast with Muse in December, and again during the European leg of the Drones World Tour the following April.

Both members suffered when Barthel's sister, Becky, took her own life in January of 2016.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22471-three/|title= Phantogram: Three|work=Pitchfork|last=Camp|first=Zoe|date=7 October 2016|accessdate=11 March 2020}} The loss greatly impacted the duo, and influenced their third album, Three.{{cite web |last=Wean |first=Brett |date=September 13, 2017 |title=Losing My Sister: An AFSP SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW with Sarah Barthel of Phantogram |url=https://afsp.org/story/losing-my-sister-an-afsp-spotlight-interview-with-sarah-barthel-of-phantogram |website=AFSP |location= |publisher= |access-date=May 26, 2025}} The record was released October 7, 2016 by Republic, and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart and No. 9 on the Billboard 200. It included the singles "You Don't Get Me High Anymore", "Run Run Blood", "Cruel World" and "Same Old Blues". Phantogram performed at the summer 2017 WayHome Music & Arts Festival in Oro-Medonte, Ontario.{{Cite web|url=http://wayhome.com/|title=WayHome Music & Arts|website=WayHome|language=en-US|access-date=2017-02-21}} A single, "Someday", was released on May 18, 2018, backed by a cover of Sparklehorse's "Saturday"; all proceeds from the single were earmarked for donation to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in memory of Barthel's sister.

File:Sarah Barthel Performing with Phantogram.jpg

Ceremony, the band's fourth studio album, was released on March 6, 2020. The following October, they contributed a cover of Joe Cocker's song "You Are So Beautiful" to the compilation Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, Volume 2, which was available for purchase for only 24 hours and whose proceeds went toward Voting Rights Lab, an organization dedicated to the protection of Americans' voting rights.{{cite web| url=https://goodmusic2020.bandcamp.com/|title=Good Music|website=Bandcamp|access-date=12 November 2024|archive-date=2 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002143325/https://goodmusic2020.bandcamp.com/|url-status=dead}} Later in the same month, they released the single "Me & Me", accompanying the Netflix film A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/me-me-from-the-netflix-film-the-babysitters-guide/1535741695|title=Me & Me (From the Netflix Film the Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting) - Single by Phantogram|website=Apple Music|access-date=November 3, 2022}} Tom Morello featured the band on his song "Driving to Texas", from the 2021 album The Atlas Underground Fire.{{cite web |last1=Clarke |first1=Patrick |title=Tom Morello teams up with Phantogram for eerie new single 'Driving To Texas' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/tom-morello-teams-up-with-phantogram-for-eerie-new-single-driving-to-texas-3030238 |website=NME |access-date=3 November 2022 |date=26 August 2021}}

A reissue of Eyelid Movies was announced in 2022 and they released the song "Suzie", an outtake from the recording sessions of Eyelid Movies, as an accompanying single.{{cite web |title=Phantogram |url=https://www.barsuk.com/artists/phantogram |website=www.barsuk.com |publisher=Barsuk Records |date=October 7, 2022|access-date=8 November 2022}} The duo's fifth studio album Memory of a Day was released on October 18, 2024, which included singles "All a Mystery," "Happy Again," "Come Alive," and "It Wasn't Meant to Be."{{Cite web |last=Pappis |first=Konstantinos |date=2024-08-23 |title=Phantogram Announce New Album, Share New Single 'Come Alive' |url=https://ourculturemag.com/2024/08/23/phantogram-announce-new-album-share-new-single-come-alive/ |access-date=2024-09-08 |website=Our Culture |language=en-GB}}{{cite web |last1=Gallant |first1=Amber |title=Phantogram share new single 'It Wasn't Meant To Be', new album Memory Of A Day out Oct 18 |url=https://twntythree.com/phantogram-share-new-single-it-wasnt-meant-to-be-new-album-memory-of-a-day-out-oct-18/ |website=twnty three |access-date=20 October 2024 |language=en |date=20 September 2024}}{{clear}}

Style and influences

Phantogram originally wrote and recorded in a remote barn in Upstate New York called Harmonie Lodge, before moving to the Los Angeles area. They now record at Harmonie West and have a house in Laurel Canyon, California.{{cite web|url=http://ghostly.com/artists/phantogram|title=Phantogram - Ghostly International|publisher=Ghostly International|access-date=January 25, 2015}}{{cite web |author= |date= |title=Phantogram perform at their LA home studio Harmonie West |url=https://artistsden.com/performances/phantogram/ |website=Artists Den |location= |publisher= |access-date=May 26, 2025}}

Carter and Barthel define their music as electronic rock, dream pop, electronica and trip hop,{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/Phantogram/info/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&tab=overview|title=Phantogram - About|author=|website=Facebook.com}} and have described their sound as "street beat, psych pop".{{cite web|url=http://itsanothernote.blogspot.com/2009/04/phantogram-sounds-that-grab-hold-of.html|title=Phantogram - Sounds That Grab a Hold of Your Heart in a Beautiful Way|date=April 26, 2009 |publisher=On Another Note|access-date=August 29, 2011}} According to Carter, their music has "lots of rhythms, swirling guitars, spacey keyboards, echoes, airy vocals".{{cite web|url=http://blog.timesunion.com/localarts/phantogram-going-national-view-photos-of-video-shoot/4340/|title=Phantogram going national, view photos of video shoot|last=Keyser|first=Tom|website=Blog.timesunion.com|date=February 4, 2010|access-date=August 29, 2011}}

The band were inspired by numerous artists including the Beatles, David Bowie, Cocteau Twins, J Dilla, the Flaming Lips, John Frusciante, Serge Gainsbourg, Madlib, Sonic Youth, Yes, Kevin Shields, and Prince.{{cite web|title=Turning Points To Always Remember: An Interview with Phantogram's Sarah Barthel|url=http://musicunderfire.com/2011/11/an-interview-with-phantograms-sarah-barthel.html|publisher=Music Under Fire|access-date=February 15, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.spinner.com/2010/03/10/sxsw-2010-phantogram/|title=Phantogram Interview: SXSW 2010|last=Javorsky|first=Ben|date=March 10, 2010|website=Spinner.com|access-date=August 29, 2011|archive-date=September 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918115334/http://www.spinner.com/2010/03/10/sxsw-2010-phantogram/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://trinitynews.ie/wordpress/archives/1664|title=Phantogram interview|last=Grecian|first=Keith|date=November 3, 2010|publisher=Trinity News|access-date=August 29, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321084125/http://trinitynews.ie/wordpress/archives/1664|archive-date=March 21, 2012|df=mdy-all}}

Members

File:Phantogram in 2010.jpg

Current members

Sarah Barthel – vocals, keyboards, piano, programming, synthesizers, guitars, production (2007–present)
Josh Carter – vocals, guitars, programming, synthesizers, drums, percussion, production (2007–present)

Touring members{{cite web |last=Heath |first=Larry |date=February 14, 2025 |title=Live Review: Phantogram are sounding better than ever as they tour North America with Meija |url=https://www.theaureview.com/music/phantogram-meija-toronto-canada-live-review/ |website=The AU Review |location= |publisher= |access-date=May 26, 2025}}