Reservoir is pleased to announce a new agreement with New York duo Phantogram. Spearheaded by Reservoir SVP of Creative & Business Development Faith Newman, the deal is centered around the band’s recent self-titled EP and much-anticipated new album, Voices, to be released February 18th. The partnership also includes individual songwriter agreements with band collaborators Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter, and will fold in Phantogram’s acclaimed previous releases-Eyelid Movies and Nightlife-later in 2014.
With roots in the relatively remote town of Saratoga Springs, New York, Phantogram has enjoyed international success. Eyelid Movies and Nightlife, both released on Seattle indie label Barsuk Records, spawned placements on major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox) and premium cable (Showtime), earned integrations into films and video games, and scored a steady stream of ad placements for fashion and consumer brands. The attention launched the group on a whirlwind of tours across the States and Europe. Recent wins have seen the band’s song “When I’m Small” integrated into Gillette’s Fusion ProGlide campaign, the release of an original composition for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and continued touring throughout the U.S. Currently, Phantogram is mid-rollout of February’s Voices, with lead single “Fall In Love” gaining serious momentum at alternative radio: KROQ (Los Angeles), KNDD (Seattle), Live 105 (San Francisco), and Q101 (Chicago), among some fifty other stations, have added the song into rotation, while streaming platforms Spotify and Hype Machine have clocked “Fall In Love” at #1 on their Viral and Popular charts, respectively. The single is available for immediate download with pre-order of the album Voices.
The signing of Phantogram sees Reservoir continue to expand its roster of innovative new talent, which currently includes MØ, Ida Corr, For A Minor Reflection, and Slakah The Beatchild, among others.
“Phantogram is an exciting signing for us,” Faith Newman says. “The band has truly mastered the art of using contemporary sounds to build classic songs. They can expertly blend elements of hip-hop, electronic music, and rock, and cement the whole idea with strong melodies that stand the test of time. People will be listening to songs like ‘Black Out Days’ and ‘Fall In Love’ years from now.”
Immediate plans for Reservoir and Phantogram include a focused effort to maintain the band’s track record of memorable sync placements, this time adding new music from Voices into the mix. The team will also prioritize securing outside co-writing opportunities for Barthel and Carter. As a band, Phantogram kicked off their extra-curricular writing efforts in 2012, participating in a collaboration with Big Boi that resulted in a production credit and three features on the rapper’s Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors album.
“There were several publishers vying to work with the band – a lot of great people and companies,” Barsuk Records co-founder and Phantogram manager Josh Rosenfeld says. “In addition to bringing well-established international resources to bear on the band’s work, it was clear that Reservoir’s values and strategies aligned with ours. They understand the character of Phantogram, and the music’s roots in indie rock, hip-hop, and shoegaze; they respect Josh and Sarah as writers and artists; and they’re comfortable with the sometimes unusual combination of our indie-informed managerial approach and the band’s new major label context at Republic. It’s exciting to have us all working together so well immediately out of the gate.”
