“Nightlife” by Phantogram

4 out of 5 stars

New York indie-electro duo Phantogram have been making a splash for two years now on the live circuit due to the strength of their impressive debut LP “Eyelid Movies.” With each passing month (and each passing live show, for that matter) Sarah Barthel (keyboards, vocals) and Josh Carter (guitars, vocals) have grown into quite a powerful group. They started out as a couple of timid singers hiding behind their electronic production but are now quite incredible musicians and vocalists in their own right, and they have even assimilated a live drummer into their group to give the band a bit more of an organic feel.

“Nightlife” isn’t quite the proper follow-up to “Eyelid Movies,” but it isn’t your typical stopgap EP either, that most bands haphazardly throw at their fans to keep them sated while they still write, record and tour. “Nightlife” is a mini-album, if you will, that consists of six very well put-together tracks that were written and recorded in the midst of the band’s hectic touring schedule. These are songs that Phantogram fans who have seen them live should already be familiar with, because they’ve been a part of their live repertoire for a while now. Songs like the opening track “16 Years” (which they recorded at the legendary Moog factory, FYI) show just how far Barthel and Carter have come with live drumming, and “Make a Fist” proves that Barthel’s vocals are only getting stronger and are on the cusp of jaw-droppingly stunning when she wants them to be. If “Nightlife” proves anything, it’s that when Phantogram finally do get around to making that long-awaited second full-length, it could easily be the album that catapults them to the forefront of mainstream popularity, because these guys are the epitome of “next big thing” status.   

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