Nightlife - EP

iTunes Review

The follow-up to Phantogram’s beautiful trip-hop brew, Eyelid Movies, this EP shows the upstate New York duo sealing the deal. Here, Phantogram submerges its fluid beats and faintly pop undertones in the lush yet intimate vibe that’s colored all of its music. Nightlife (influenced by the soulful hip-hop beats of 9th Wonder and the late J Dilla) reflects that sort of nocturnal otherworld that artists find themselves cocooned in while touring; it was mostly written while the duo was on the road. Featuring romanticism (with Sarah Barthel’s sweet murmuring and tracks like the shimmering, richly textured “Turn to Stone” and the yearning “16 Years”), candlelit moods (“Dark Tunnel”), and a nightclubby vibe (the languid “Don’t Move” is all smoke and mirrored walls), Nightlife has the promise of twilight in the big city. The title track opens with a gentle acoustic guitar, with Barthel’s voice soaring like a cosmic bridge over iridescent synths, snapping percussion, and glinting, electric guitars. It goes to an unexpected place, and that’s certainly promising for whatever may follow.