Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
New York synthpop duo Phantogram have premiered a new single, “Run Run Blood”, which will feature on upcoming album Three. Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter previously released the track “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore”, to mark the announcement of the upcoming album’s release date.
“Run Run Blood” builds on the intensity established on their previous single, recapturing the unique trip-hop adjacent sound they achieved on their debut LP, Eyelid Movies. Barthel layers buzzing, guttural synths lines and dark, soaring keyboards over Cartel’s industrial guitar, crafting menacing yet inviting instrumentation. Additionally, while less impressive than the track’s production, Barthel’s sultry, foreboding vocals adequately compliment Carter’s robotic monotone. “Run Run Blood” works to the Phantogram’s strengths, capturing Barthel and Cartel at their most cohesive and fluid.
In a statement, Carter told Stereogum that the song is “about the sad state of the world we live in today. It feels like the blind leading the blind sometimes.” The duo, reflecting Carter’s statement, trade vaguely apocalyptic verses throughout the single.
Three will mark Phantogram’s first studio LP since 2014’s Voices, and third formal release overall. Phantogram are set to kick off world tour in support of Three on July 31 in Chicago.
In 2015, Barthel and Carter released an eponymous, collaborative EP with OutKast rapper Big Boi under the name Big Grams. The EP received mixed critical reception and surprisingly strong commercial reception. The trio has toured in support of their EP since September.
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