Phantom Planet

About Phantom Planet

Phantom Planet started in Los Angeles in 1994 when a bunch of teenagers from Crossroads School decided they were a band. Alex Greenwald on vocals, Jacques Brautbar on guitar, Darren Robinson on guitar, Sam Farrar on bass, and Jason Schwartzman on drums. Yes, that Jason Schwartzman, before he became a fixture in Wes Anderson films.

Their early sound pulled from the Britpop and power pop floating around the mid-90s, though they were firmly California kids. They put out "Phantom Planet Is Missing" in 1998 on Geffen, which got some attention but didn't exactly set anything on fire. The songs were scrappy and young, which made sense because they were barely out of high school.

Then came "The Guest" in 2002, and specifically "California," which became the theme song for The O.C. You know how that goes. One TV placement and suddenly a band that was playing to dozens is playing to thousands. The song is aggressively catchy, almost annoyingly so, and it became impossible to separate Phantom Planet from that one track. The album itself is solid power pop with big hooks and the kind of production that was everywhere in the early 2000s. By this point, Schwartzman had left to pursue acting full-time, replaced by Jeff Conrad.

They followed up with "Phantom Planet" in 2004, a self-titled effort that tried to show they were more than that one song everyone knew. It's a bit darker, a bit more ambitious, with tracks like "Big Brat" showing they could write beyond the sunny California vibe. It didn't catch the same wave commercially, which is the story for most bands that have one massive song.

"Raise the Dead" came in 2008 after they signed with Fueled by Ramen. They worked with producer Tony Hoffer and came out with something that leaned into a more polished, almost theatrical sound. It's their most cohesive album, but by then the cultural moment had shifted and emo was fading into indie rock's next iteration. The album didn't connect the way they probably hoped.

They broke up in 2008, citing the usual creative exhaustion and desire to do other things. Greenwald started focusing on other projects and fashion stuff. Farrar joined Maroon 5 as a touring member, which is certainly a choice.

In 2019, they got back together, because that's what bands from the 2000s do now. They've played some shows, done some festivals, reminded people that they wrote more than one song. No new album yet, just a band existing in that space where nostalgia and genuine affection overlap. They're still around, still playing, still defined by a TV theme from two decades ago whether they like it or not.

They bring the energy of 2000s alt-rock radio but don't rely entirely on nostalgia. Crowds sing along to the hits, and the band actually sounds tight. Shows feel more like a proper rock gig than a reunion lap.

Known for California, Big Brat, Lonely Day, The Biggest Lie, Just the Same

See Phantom Planet Live