Phantogram – “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” (Singles Going Steady)

Pryor Stroud: Transitioning straight from their collaboration with Outkast’s Big Boi to work on their third full-length Three, Phantogram haven’t had much time to catch their breath since 2014’s Voices and last year’s eponymous Big Grams LP. But, if “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” is any indication, inspiration is still flowing into Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, the New York shoegaze machinists who comprise the band. Dynamic, subtly sinister, and glazed with both breezy melodics and fuzzed-out synths, it’s a blistering synth-rock standoff with our culture of outsized desires and uninhibited excess — a present-day dystopia where sex, drugs, and self-indulgent consumption have become so ubiquitous that everything else begins to lose its value in comparison. [8/10]

Steve Horowitz: Who doesn’t want to be dominated sexually? Put on the leather and get the axe, I’ll rev up the motorcycle. The song seems too poppy for the video, but the video actually seems better than the song. That said, the vocals do a good job of providing tension. If only it didn’t always repeat itself. The instrumentation also get monotonous, which in part is the song’s theme. You don’t get me high doing the same old thing. Who is stopping them from trying something different? [6/10]

Jordan Blum: This is a group I’ve heard about but never listened to or watched. The video is cerebral and disturbing yet also bright and flashly, like a Marilyn Manson video fused with a Spice Girls or Fiona Apple video that’s directed by David Lynch. It doesn’t seem to relate to the song much, but that’s not unusual. Musically, it’s okay, but nothing especially unique. It’s like a blend of NIN and Sia. The chorus is serene enough, and it juxtaposes the harshness of the verses well, but it doesn’t really offer anything new or intriguing. [6/10]

Brian Duricy: You’ve got to give them credit for making a song about the experience of listening to Phantogram in 2016. Remember 2009, when “When I’m Small” was ubiquitous? Those were the days. [3/10]

Chad Miller: Pretty decent song. The melody is enjoyable although the amount of production and sound in the background parts kind of weighs it down. The song has a clever premise though with lines like “Used to take one / Now it takes four / You don’t get me high anymore.” [6/10]

SCORE: 5.80