"Only the Lonely Survive" Released: February 1, 2019
"Glimmer" Released: May 31, 2019
"Don't Miss Me?" Released: October 3, 2019
Phantoms is the fifth studio album released by Canadian rock band Marianas Trench. It was released on March 1, 2019 through 604 Records in Canada and Interscope Records internationally.[1] The album saw another new style for the band, going for a more haunted and ghostly like sound as opposed to the more fantastical sound on their previous work, Astoria, which is where the title of Phantoms comes from.[2]
Background and recording
In 2015, Marianas Trench released their fourth studio album Astoria, with the lead single, "One Love", reaching number 50 on the Canadian Hot 100.[3][4] Two other singles from the album followed: "This Means War" and "Who Do You Love".[5][6] Marianas Trench performed at the New Year's celebration in Niagara Falls, Ontario in 2017.[7] In the fall of 2017, the group released a new single titled "Rhythm of Your Heart".[8] The song however, did not make the final cut on the album. On March 15, 2018, the music video for "Rhythm of Your Heart" premiered on YouTube.[9]
On September 14, 2018, the group announced that they had begun working on their fifth studio album.[10] The album was recorded at The Umbrella Factory and The Warehouse in Vancouver, British Columbia.[11] The group finished production on the album in January 2019.[12]Josh Ramsay spoke about the change in sound on the album stating;
"If you want longevity, then you keep reinventing, which we try to do on every record. Egos are real small in our band and nobody cares whose idea we go with as long as it's the best the song can be, and that's how we work. Hearing out everyone from the runner on the session bringing in sandwiches who suggests another bar added there is key to getting the best songs."[13]
Singles
On November 5, 2018, the band announced the lead single off their upcoming fifth album, "I Knew You When",[14] which was later released on November 16.[15] On December 3, 2018, the band announced the US Suspending Gravity Tour to promote their upcoming album Phantoms.[16] The music video for "I Knew You When" was released on YouTube on December 19, 2018.[17] On February 1, 2019, "Only the Lonely Survive" was released as the album's second single.[18] On February 7, 2019, "Echoes of You" featuring Roger Joseph Manning Jr. was released digitally as a promotional single from the album.[19] "Glimmer" was released for radio airplay on May 31, 2019 as the third single from the album.[20] A music video for the song was released on June 5, 2019.[21] "Don't Miss Me?" was released as the fourth and final single from the album on October 3, 2019.[22]
Concept and sound
Phantoms has been described by the band as being "haunted by the ghosts of former love."[13] Ramsay describes the new record as "modern-song writing, but very organic, old-school approaches and trickery...done in a way that you haven't heard us do before."[23] "It's about messy, real-life love with consequences; the kind of relationship that takes years to build," Ramsay sums up. And for him, it's personal. "Fun fact: every love song I've ever written is about the same girl." Although Phantoms draws inspiration from a decidedly personal place, however: "It's not like you're just listening in on someone else's life. Everybody has that experience. That's just living. And Phantoms, I think, will allow people to connect on their own level, with their own story, to the ones that we're sharing."[24] According to drummer Ian Casselman, the group decided on the title Phantoms when they were in New Orleans, citing the prominent death and voodoo culture in the area.[25]
Promotion
Marianas Trench went on the Suspending Gravity Tour in support of the album starting in March 2019 in Canada and later in the United States during May and June of 2019.[26] They returned to the United States in the fall of 2019 for the second leg of the Suspending Gravity Tour.[27] The band was supposed to go on a headlining tour in Australia beginning in April 2020,[28] but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed and moved to the fall of 2022.[29]
Reception
Phantoms has mostly received positive reviews from critics. Shannon Shumaker of The Prelude Press said "Each song on Phantoms stands alone as a masterpiece, and when combined, it makes for a very dramatic, exciting listen. Although the massive sounds on the album can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming, and the more energetic songs might sound a bit similar, it's the little stand-out moments throughout the album that make it special."[30] Amanda Hather of Canadian Beats praised the first track "Eleonora" for the harmonies that "pack a punch for the listener in the short minute it lasts." She also described the sixth track "Your Ghost" as an "upbeat and fun to listen to." She ended off stating, "This album is likely to propel their careers even further and allow them to reach milestones they haven’t quite grasped yet."[31] Christine Sloman of Melodic Magazine complimented the last track "The Killing Kind" stating, "Reminiscent of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' this song sounds like multiple songs in one... Each section is like organized chaos. They build onto each other, while staying central to a certain theme or idea."[32]
