Also known as Charlie Everywhere | Years active 2007–present | |
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Origin Greenwich, New York, United States Genres Electro rock
dream pop
electronica
trip hop
shoegaze Labels Sub-Bombin
CE
BBE
Barsuk
Indica
Ghostly
Republic Associated acts Grand Habit, the Mathematicians, Big Boi, the Flaming Lips, Miley Cyrus, Big Grams Members Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter Profiles | ||
Phantogram (formerly Charlie Everywhere) is an American music duo from Greenwich, New York, formed in 2007 and consisting of Josh Carter (vocals, guitars) and Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards). The band name was inspired by an optical illusion called a phantogram, in which two-dimensional images appear to be three-dimensional.
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The band define their music as electro rock, dream pop, electronica and trip hop, and have described their sound as "street beat, psych pop". According to Carter, their music has "lots of rhythms, swirling guitars, spacey keyboards, echoes, airy vocals". Carter and Barthel were inspired by 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.
They write and record in a remote barn in Upstate New York called Harmony Lodge. The band has released three studio albums (Eyelid Movies in 2009, Voices in 2014, and Three in 2016), four EPs (Phantogram and Running From the Cops in 2009, Nightlife in 2011, Phantogram in 2013) and eight singles.
History
Carter and Barthel have been friends since junior high school. In the summer of 2007, Barthel returned home dissatisfied with pursuing a visual arts degree at Champlain College in Vermont, and Carter returned home after a brief stint in New York City with Grand Habit, an experimental band formed with his older brother, John.
The two friends reunited and worked on finishing some of Carter's earlier songwriting ideas, then finally formed the band. They played some live shows, but decided to focus the bulk of their energies on making records.
The duo was originally called Charlie Everywhere, and used that name to perform around the Saratoga Springs area and to release two EPs on local label Sub-Bombin Records. Upon signing with UK label Barely Breaking Even on January 26, 2009, they changed their name to Phantogram.
Phantogram's eponymous debut EP was self-released on the CE Records label on May 12, 2009, followed in the same year by another EP, Running From the Cops, issued on BBE.
They signed with Barsuk Records in October 2009, after encouragement from Erich Cannon of Portland's Spectre Entertainment, who contacted them after he heard songs on their MySpace page. "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."
Phantogram released their debut album Eyelid Movies on September 15, 2009 on BBE (Europe) and Indica Records (Canada), and on February 9, 2010 on Barsuk (US). The album received generally favorable reviews. The album included three singles: "Mouthful of Diamonds", "When I'm Small" and "As Far As I Can See".
The Nightlife EP was released on November 1, 2011. It included the single "Don't Move".
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.
On September 30, 2013, Republic Records released the Phantogram EP . It was followed by their second studio album, Voices, released on February 18, 2014 by Barsuk/Republic. A fifth single, "Nothing But Trouble", was released on January 14.
Barthel guested on Miley Cyrus song "Slab of Butter (Scorpion)" from the 2015 album Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz.
Phantogram collaborated with Big Boi again in 2015, resulting in the seven-song EP Big Grams, which was released on September 25, 2015 by Epic Records. The EP featured production work from Big Boi, Phantogram, 9th Wonder and Skrillex.
Touring
Phantogram have played and 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 opened for M83 at the Hollywood Bowl on September 22, 2013. In 2015, Phantogram opened for Alt-J at Madison Square Garden and toured the West Coast with Muse in December 2015. They also opened for Muse during the European leg of the Drones World Tour in April 2016.
Phantogram have played several major North American festivals including Austin City Limits, Osheaga, Coachella, Sasquatch!, Bonnaroo, Treasure Island, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, LouFest, Bumbershoot, Summerfest and Firefly.
In 2010, they enlisted drummer Tim Oakley, formerly of the Mathematicians, for their tour. In 2013, the band added guitarist/synth player Nicholas Shelestak to the touring band, while Chris Carhart took over on drums.
Phantogram were announced to perform at the summer 2017 WayHome Music & Arts Festival in Oro-Medonte, Ontario.
Television appearances
Phantogram appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in 2011 and 2013; on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2014; on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on June 16, 2016; on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on October 6, 2016; and again on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on December 12, 2016.
In other media
As Big Grams
Songs
You Don’t Get Me High AnyThree · 2016
When I'm SmallEyelid Movies · 2010
Fall in LoveVoices · 2014