Phantogram (formerly Charlie Everywhere) is an American electronic rock duo from Greenwich, New York, formed in 2007 and consisting of Josh Carter (vocals, guitars) and Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards). They write and record in a remote barn in upstate New York called Harmony Lodge. The band name was partially inspired by an optical illusion called a phantogram, in which two-dimensional images appear to be three-dimensional. They described their sound as “street beat, psych pop”. According to Josh Carter, their music has “lots of rhythms, swirling guitars, spacey keyboards, echoes, airy vocals.”
The band has released two studio albums (Eyelid Movies in 2009, Voices in 2014), four EPs (Phantogram and Running From the Cops in 2009, Nightlife in 2011, Phantogram in 2013) and eight singles.
Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel have been friends since junior high school. In the summer of 2007, Barthel returned home dissatisfied with pursuing a visual arts degree 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 songwriting ideas Carter made earlier and then finally formed the band. Carter and Barthel were inspired by artists like J Dilla, Madlib, Cocteau Twins, The Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth, Yes, The Beatles, David Bowie, John Frusciante, Serge Gainsbourg, Kevin Shields and Prince.
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. Phantogram are also credited as producers for the song “Objectum Sexuality”. Phantogram are also featured on the song “You Lust” by The Flaming Lips from their 2013 album The Terror. Barthel revealed in an interview with Variance Magazine in February 2014 that Phantogram plans to release an EP with Big Boi of OutKast.
