Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter have known each other since attending junior high together in upstate New York in the late ’90s. Their friendship came in handy when, in 2007, Carter was looking to start a new musical project, one in which Hip Hop beats could commingle with atmospheric Indie Pop.
Enter Phantogram. The duo’s full-length debut, Eyelid Movies (released in Europe in 2009 in the U.S. in 2010), turned heads with Barthel’s impressive, versatile voice and Carter’s aforementioned mix of noir-like atmospherics and beat-driven production skills. Extensive touring with such like-minded luminaries as The Antlers, Beach House, Caribou and Yeasayer followed, including a rousing stop at the 2010 MidPoint Music Festival in Cincinnati.
After a couple EP appetizers — not to mention collaborations with artists as diverse as The Flaming Lips and Big Boi (among others) — Phantogram is finally back with its second full-length, Voices, another dynamic trip into the darkness.
Phantogram performs Sunday, April 6 at 20th Century Theatre with Teen. Tickets/more info: the20thcenturytheatre.com.
