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Phantogram Covers Sparklehorse For Suicide Prevention Foundation

Phantogram's Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter
Rebecca Ferguson
/
Courtesy of the artist
Phantogram's Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter

The New York-based electro-pop group Phantogram dropped two new cuts Friday to help raise money for suicide prevention. The first is an original song called "Someday," a heartbreaking, but ultimately celebratory remembrance of Phantogram singer Sarah Barthel's sister, Becky, who took her own life two years ago. "I'm always going to miss you," Barthel laments. "I'm always going to feel you in everything that I do. I love you so."

The B-side to the new digital single is a shimmering cover of the Sparklehorse song "Saturday," from the 1995 album Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot.

Sparklehorse frontman Mark Linkous killed himself in early 2010 and Phantogram was previously slated to cover his music for a Sparklehorse tribute album in 2013. But the Linkous estate didn't approve of the project and threatened legal action to block the release. The planned album was eventually scrapped.

All proceeds generated from the two new Phantogram tracks will go to the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention. Earlier this month the organization honored Phantogram for the band's efforts to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention. At a ceremony in New York, Barthel said "We've learned that when you reach out, people reach back. The stories we've all shared with each other have helped fend off feelings of isolation, building an ongoing community that will continue together to break down stigmas and a tendency toward silence."

This is the first new music from Phantogram since the band's 2016 full-length, Three. It comes as the U.S. observes Mental Health Awareness Month.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Robin Hilton is a producer and co-host of the popular NPR Music show All Songs Considered.