Phantogram, Bob Moses
The Sylvee 25 S. Livingston St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Charles Reagan Hackleman
Phantogram
Electronic rock/dreampop duo Phantogram recently returned with their first new music since their 2016 album, Three. The two incredible new singles, “Into Happiness” and “Mister Impossible,” bring back the heavy rhythm and bass sounds from Josh Carter, and Sarah Barthel’s catchy choruses. Both songs have a dynamic, hopeful energy unique to Carter and Bartel’s sound. With electronic duo Bob Moses.
$35 ($30 adv.).
press release: Phantogram announced their highly anticipated return with a North American headline tour this summer. The New York duo of Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel— has continued to change the zeitgeist for almost a decade by consistently challenging it with their signature blend of hard-hitting beats, guitar-driven dark psychedelia, and electronic pop. Leading into their upcoming summer headline tour, Phantogram drops a new single for their fans called “Mister Impossible.”
“Mister Impossible” was written in the band’s Laurel Canyon studio and recorded at Rancho de la Luna in Joshua Tree, where the duo has been working on new music for their upcoming project.
Phantogram tells the story behind the song, saying, “‘Mister Impossible’ was a song title we had in mind for a long time before it was written. We started working on it in the studio we built over the last year in Laurel Canyon, which we call Harmony West — we haven’t had our own workspace since Harmony Lodge [the barn where the band made their first couple albums in upstate New York], and it’s been so inspiring to have the opportunity once again to create music in our own space. Then we went out to Joshua Tree this last spring to work at Rancho de la Luna, where the recording really came together — some of the most fun we’ve had making music in a long time."
Since the arrival of 2010’s Barsuk Records debut release Eyelid Movies, the pair has amassed nearly half-a-billion streams, achieved two Gold-Certified singles in the form of “Fall In Love” and “When I’m Small,” headlined sold out shows worldwide, become a festival staple, and toured with artists including The xx, Muse, M83, Alt-J and more.
Their 2016 third full-length, Three, reached career-high positions on the Billboard Top 200 chart (#9) and Billboard Top Albums Sales chart (#5), as the lead single “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” climbed the alternative radio charts. The album was also met with critical acclaim from Pitchfork, Billboard, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, People, Vogue, New York Magazine, The FADER, Stereogum, NYLON, PAPER and many others.
Three was completed in the wake of Barthel’s sister’s passing due to suicide, a shattering event which brought suicide prevention awareness to the forefront of the band’s consciousness and has informed their charitable giving and community outreach ever since – as they’ve done on past tours, one dollar from the purchase of each ticket to Phantogram’s upcoming headline performances will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.