Heartache colors Phantogram’s new CD

Normally, Sarah Barthel and singing/writing/band partner Josh Carter write songs that are somewhat vague in nature, leaving listeners to find their own meaning.

For their third, and most recent, release, “Three,” there was just too much reality in their lives to not address the issues head-on. While recording the album, Barthel’s sister, a close friend of Carter’s since childhood, committed suicide.

They stopped recording for a bit but eventually found their way back into the studio, only to be rattled by the deaths of musical heroes David Bowie and Prince.

Barthel says Phantogram’s music has always focused on the heavier aspects of life, but once they were back in the studio, they went even deeper on “Three.”

“We went through a personal tragedy, and that changes the lenses we look through,” she says. “Our records always mean something. They are always about what we are going through, but this time the things we were going through were hard to hide.”

She adds that while some artists like to be specific and detailed in their songs, she and Carter prefer to leave the lyrics open to interpretation. “Three” is more direct and to the point.

“It’s about heartbreak and personal struggles and the way life can be,” she says.

The album contains the hit “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore,” which is in heavy rotation on most adult radio stations. The catchy pop melody belies its darker lyrics:

“Nothing is fun

Not like before

You don’t get me high anymore

Used to take one

Now it takes four

You don’t get me high anymore.”

Phantogram will perform at Track 29 on Saturday, Dec. 17, with Foreign Air opening.

Barthel says her desire to leave her lyrics mysterious had nothing to do with any kind of fear of revealing too much of herself. “I like to keep music relatable to everybody and not have a full meaning,” she explains. “When I look at a painting, I like to make my own interpretations.”

Fans have responded to the new, more personal lyrics, Barthel says.

“They’re more open to us. They find their own meaning and they always will, but for me personally, the enjoyment in this more openness is that people are more open to me,” she says. “It seems to be helping people get through hard times – being open to expressing yourself and that it’s OK.”

She says musically, she and Carter like to experiment with sound and let the song take them where it needs to go. Which is one of the reasons Bowie, as well as Pink Floyd and Beck, are such influences.

“You will always hear Bowie in our songs. It will always be Phantogram, but we have a lot of influences. Kind of like Beck, who has done so much innovation in his music, but it is always Beck and he is not trying to be anyone else.”

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6354.