Description
Phantogram – Three – Vinyl Record
Three, released in October 2016, is the third studio album by Phantogram, the New York-based electronic rock duo composed of Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter. Known for blending elements of trip-hop, synth-pop, and alternative rock, Phantogram took a darker, more emotionally charged turn with this album. Three was created in the wake of personal tragedy—specifically, the suicide of Sarah Barthel’s sister earlier that year—which deeply shaped the emotional tone and lyrical content of the record. While the duo had always explored themes of loss, alienation, and psychological struggle, this album pushes those themes to the forefront with a heightened sense of urgency and vulnerability.
Three is a dense, aggressive, and often abrasive sonic experience, yet it remains accessible through its strong pop hooks and slick production. It blends electronic beats with distorted guitars, chopped vocal samples, and cinematic atmospheres, all while keeping rhythm and groove at the center. Barthel’s vocals—icy, sultry, and at times searing—cut through the dark textures, delivering lyrics that often reflect numbness, despair, and disillusionment. The album’s lead single, “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore,” co-produced by Ricky Reed, became one of Phantogram’s most successful tracks to date, pairing a jagged, industrial beat with lyrics that reflect emotional burnout and detachment. Other highlights like “Same Old Blues,” “Cruel World,” and “Destroyer” carry a similarly intense emotional weight, wrapped in moody, genre-blending arrangements that draw from trip-hop, R&B, and rock.
The album reflects both personal grief and a broader existential dread. While some tracks feel like desperate cries for release, others take on a more defiant tone, channeling heartbreak into resilience. “Run Run Blood” even veers into political commentary, broadening the album’s emotional and thematic scope. Yet despite its often bleak tone, Three is not a hopeless album. There are moments of sonic beauty and cathartic release that give the record balance, making it feel less like a wallowing in sadness and more like a confrontation with it. Barthel and Carter create a soundscape that is simultaneously futuristic and haunted, channeling their pain into something artistically potent.
Three was met with generally positive reviews, praised for its emotional depth, sonic ambition, and stylistic evolution from the duo’s earlier work. While some critics noted a tendency toward maximalist production, many applauded the band’s willingness to push their boundaries and tap into deeply personal material. Ultimately, Three is Phantogram’s most emotionally raw and sonically expansive album to date. It stands as a powerful portrait of grief and transformation, offering a cathartic listening experience for anyone drawn to music that lives in the shadows but reaches for light.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Funeral Pyre
Same Old Blues
You Don’t Get Me High Anymore
Cruel World
Barking Dog
You’re Mine
Answer
Run Run Blood
Destroyer
Calling All
