When it comes to electronic pop music, Phantogram occupies a singular Venn diagram of overlapping artistic, creative, and commercial success. No one mixes ecstatic stagecraft, ethereal vocal melodies, and danceable beats more skillfully than Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter. Nearly every music fan on the planet will recognize the “Ooh/Ooh” refrain of the Saratoga Springs, NY’s duo’s hit single “When I’m Small,” off 2009 debut album Eyelid Movies. That brought crossover stars like Miley Cyrus and Skrillex calling — but hardcore hip-hop fans still sling street cred Phantogram’s way for their fire-spitting collaboration with Outkast anchor Big Boi.
But tragedy struck on Phantogram’s ascent to mainstream stardom. In January 2015, just as Barthel and Carter were sitting down to write and record their third album, Sara’s older sister, who was also Carter’s best friend, committed suicide, plunging the duo into deep, soul-searching despair. The result, elegantly titled Three, features big-time collaboration credits with pop superstars like The-Dream. Yet on heart-rending songs like “Barking the Dog” and “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore,” Phantogram plumb emotional depths previously unexamined on their airier full-lengths and EPs.
“Knowing that our music is connecting with people in a way it hasn’t before feels really great,” Barthel tells Folio Weekly in advance of the band’s X102.9-sponsored stop in St. Augustine with The 1975, Silversun Pickups, Glass Animals, and COIN. “Finding out that these songs can even help save people’s life? That’s everything.”
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Folio Weekly: Three just came out in February. Are you guys focusing on that on this tour?
Josh Carter: Yes — we’re playing eight songs off our new ten-song album. We’re also playing a lot of old jams and crowd favorites. We definitely cater our set list for different kinds of shows. At festivals, we can’t always have the same kind of visual presentation as we can at clubs. Sometimes, depending on the length of the set, we want to have super high energy. And sometimes we play stripped-down shows that are more ethereal or airy sounding.
Do the songs take on different meanings for you when performed in different settings?
Sarah Barthel: From day one, our songs have had more than one meaning. In a way, every song we play has a different meaning every night, even if it was written to reflect one moment in time.
Three focuses on the heartbreak of losing your sister, Sarah, who was also your best friend, Josh. Is the performance of them cathartic?
S.B.: It is. And very emotionally draining. I find myself not having any energy for anything else because the stage takes it all. It’s a great thing, but at times I dream of being a surf rock band that doesn’t write such meaningful songs.
J.C.: It would be nice to just phone it in sometimes.
S.B.: And be OK, you know? Because this is taking its toll on me. But half the beauty of playing these shows is meeting people afterwards at signings and meeting people who tell us how much our songs mean to them. It’s just as meaningful as being on stage, especially this time around. And then again very draining [laughs].
Is that response from fans unique toThree?
S.B.: Definitely. We don’t usually open up about our songs. But this time around, I don’t think there was a possibility of hiding what had happened to us. People can relate to that kind of tragedy. People can relate to heartbreak. That’s what the record is about. Everyone deals with it. Everyone reaches out for help. So it’s nice to connect on a deeper level, instead of just being a band that plays songs that people like.
Even with such emotional material, you still worked with an all-star cast of outside collaborators. Any particular reason?
J.C.: We’re used to collaborating now. In the past, we were a lot more guarded with our music. We didn’t want to share it with anybody — including our manager — until we thought that it was presentable. And now we’ve learned that it’s worth messing around with other artists to see what happens. Some of it comes out great, and some of it doesn’t make the cut. And what doesn’t we have in our back pocket to put out as a remix, an EP, or a single.
Excluding your frequent collaborators, do you feel like Phantogram fits in with other contemporary acts?
J.C.: Not necessarily with other bands trying to do something similar sound-wise. But in the sense of people creating new things and making cool music, we love bands like The Antlers and Lip Talk.
S.B.: Vince Staples is innovative and young — he takes trendy things and makes them fresh and cool. I love his attention to art and visuals. Those are the types of artists we can fit into a box with other people who don’t fit into a box. Beck always reinvents himself…
J.C.: …The Flaming Lips, Radiohead….
Does Phantogram have what it takes to last as long as artists like that?
S.B.: We want to.
J.C.: Actually, I quit.
S.B.: [Laughs] We know that we have something special going on. We’re not that band where it’s like, “Oh, he went off and did a solo record.” Josh and I are always on the same page. Phantogram will always be Sarah and Josh. That is key. We’re so close, we’re best friends and we love each other. If you find yourself in a band thinking about yourself more, there’s going to be a clash. But Josh and I don’t have that. So what’s the reason to stop?
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