Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter started Phantogram in 2007. They’ve worked on crafting a particular sound and they’ve had a particular way of making their dense productions since the beginning. But for their new record, Three, things changed. The song “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” took the band outside of their comfort zone. And, in this episode, Sarah and Josh break down how they made the original demo, and how outsiders like The-Dream and co-producer Ricky Reed influenced the way the song ultimately turned out.

You can buy “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore”on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
“You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” music video

Eddie Bo – “Hook and Sling, Part One”

Twitter

Facebook

email

In 2006, Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John released their third album, Writer’s Block. For months and months after that, it felt like you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing the first single from that album, “Young Folks.” It was on top 10 lists for song of the year in places like Pitchfork and NME. It’s been covered by James Blunt, and remixed by Kanye West, along with countless other versions out there. Now, ten years later, Peter Bjorn and John break down the song and how it all came together, and how it almost didn’t come together at all.

You can buy “Young Folks”on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
“Young Folks” music video

Live on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, January 2007

Twitter

Facebook

email

A post shared by Song Exploder (@songexploder) on Aug 29, 2018 at 9:30am PDT

Mitski has been making records since 2012. Her newest record, Puberty 2, came out in June 2016, and was critically acclaimed. Pitchfork gave it Best New Music status. Her music has been featured in the television show Adventure Time. In this episode, Mitski breaks down her song “Your Best American Girl,” along with her long-time collaborator Patrick Hyland.

You can buy “Your Best American Girl”on iTunes or Bandcamp.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
“Your Best American Girl” video

Twitter

Facebook

email