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Phantogram frontwoman Sarah Barthel enjoys indulging her flair for the dramatic by incorporating custom couture pieces into her onstage wardrobe, and often cutting or dyeing her hair to match. (Recently, she sported a black-and-white modern take on Cruella de Vil, a style she recalls fondly now that she’s back to a more natural color palette.) But Barthel’s favorite accessory are her Modern Vice heels, a pair that she credits for giving her the strength to endure intense performances, including a recent run of late night shows, festival slots, and tour dates with Miike Snow.
“One night I lost my heels for the show and I had to wear sneakers,” she tells CR, laughing at the memory. “It totally fucked me up. There’s a certain confidence and sexiness that I need to have onstage to give it my all. Take the heels away from me, and I can’t perform. Even though sometimes I go a little too high and think, ‘Holy shit, I shouldn’t do this!’”
It’s a theatrical take on fashion that the singer-songwriter admits she took some time to grow into. When she and producer/creative cohort Josh Carter first emerged with their slinky, trip hop-inspired album Eyelid Movies in 2010, they were the band that could evoke mid-‘90s electronica in all of its dark, Portishead glory, while still churning out the up-tempo, David Bowie-glam dance singles. It was an atmosphere they pushed further on their 2014 full-length follow Voices, with tracks like “Black Out Days” that demonstrated the duo’s ability to deliver R&B with an undercurrent of minor-key wistfulness. (A skill they also tapped into for their 2015 one-off collaboration with Big Boi under the name Big Grams.) Although never a member of the jeans and T-shirt set (at least onstage), Barthel says it wasn’t until revisiting the work of some of her favorite artists, like Flaming Lips, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to realize she could echo her band’s grand ambitions in her wardrobe fashions.
“[Josh] was always like, ‘We can’t make it about crazy glitter and all that stuff,’” Barthel says. “I always just thought that [image] didn’t matter, that it was all about the music. Then one day, I flipped the switch. I think we should step it up. Do something cool. People love it. It just helps the show. It brings it on another vision.”
Creating a substantial artistic vibe was the goal going into the recording sessions for the pair’s aptly named 2016 album, Three. However, during that time, Barthel’s older sister, who was also close friends with Carter, committed suicide. It was an emotional upheaval that colored the whole creative process. While Three has its stadium moments, most notably, “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore,” where Barthel’s earth-shaking alto stretches from a semi-rap to a croon, much of the release was directed in slow-burner mode, as the members of Phantogram worked through elements of the grieving process they couldn’t express any other way. (“Goodbye to my good side/It only ever got me hurt/And I finally learned/It’s a cruel, cruel world,” Barthel sings against the glitchy beats of “Cruel World.”)
While Barthel calls the recording cathartic, she reveals that performing these emotionally draining songs didn’t have the same effect. At times, she struggled to connect to her alter ego, the powerful frontwoman, strutting across the stage in a cape and heels.
“It was really intense and hard, and it brought me back to everything,” she says, choking up slightly at the memory. “It was the same experience every night. Afterward, I realized how much dark energy I was bringing; it wasn’t helping me anymore, so I decided to speak out. I wanted to talk and explain to people what these songs were about. The first time I spoke about it, I’m sure the audience couldn’t even understand me. I had to do it though, because I had to do something else.”
The pair’s new single “Someday,” released in support of American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, was originally written during the Three sessions. Based on a beat inspired by Al Green’s vintage horn sections, the ballad directly addresses the void left by Barthel’s sister, with lyrics declaring: “I’m always gonna miss you/I’m always gonna feel you/In everything that I do.” The release is paired with a cover of Sparklehorse’s “Saturday,” a band whose lead singer Mark Linkous tragically committed suicide in 2010. As evidenced by a recent photo on the Phantogram’s Instagram page of Barthel, whose head is down with her back turned to the audience, it’s not an easy song to sing live. But she’s proud of the track, and how listeners have reacted.
“They’re very proud and it’s a very meaningful song for them too, because they are fans,” she says. “They’ve been following this process of how we’ve been going through it, being on tour, and trying to speak about it as much as we can on social media. Everyone seemed to love it very much. They love the cause and they love to help. They just love to be a part it.”
It’s a conversation that, through her own healing process, Barthel hopes to continue. Emotional and mental struggles need to be normalized. Like so many others, she believes that no one needs to be afraid to ask for help.
“It’s important for people to understand that it’s normal for humans—just as normal as having a broken finger,” she says. “It’s okay to not be okay, to talk to someone, and to get help. Take care of yourself. Self-care is mental health, just like the health of your body. Address your feelings: They’re scary, but they’re real. Everyone has them.”
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prev link: https://www.crfashionbook.com/culture/a21095822/phantogram-sarah-barthel-three-someday/
createdAt:Wed, 06 Jun 2018 14:53:13 +0000
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