Los Angeles, CA · indie-rock · power-pop

Phantom Planet

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Best known for a theme song, which buries a genuinely sharp power-pop catalogue — 'California' opens the door, the rest keeps you.

Phantom Planet formed in Los Angeles in 1994, reportedly coming together at a Pizza Hut, and took its name from a 1961 B-movie. Still in their teens, the members played frequently around Hollywood until Geffen Records signed them in 1997; their debut, Phantom Planet Is Missing, followed in 1998. Actor Jason Schwartzman played drums in the early lineup, and Alex Greenwald has been the band's singer throughout.

After Geffen folded into Universal, the band moved to Epic Records for its second album. Producer Mitchell Froom, brought in after his daughter saw the group live, recorded The Guest in 2002 with engineer Tchad Blake, and the band later toured in support of Elvis Costello. The Guest yielded "California," which became widely known as the theme to the television series The O.C.

The band deliberately changed direction on its 2004 self-titled follow-up, trading radio-friendly pop rock for a rougher garage sound; Greenwald has said the group wanted every record to feel like a different experiment. Schwartzman left during the sessions to focus on acting and was replaced by drummer Jeff Conrad, while guitarist Jacques Brautbar also departed around this time.

Phantom Planet announced a hiatus in November 2008 and played what was billed as a final show that December. The group reconvened for occasional one-off performances between 2011 and 2013 before reuniting permanently in 2019.

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indie-rockpower-pop