Phantom Planet

Hailing from Los Angeles, Phantom Planet crafts melodic indie rock that fuses Beatles-inspired pop with garage-rock energy. Fronted by vocalist Alex Greenwald, the group first reached a broad audience in the early 2000s when “California,” taken from their 2002 release The Guest, served as the theme for Fox’s prime-time teen drama The O.C. Their original drummer, Rushmore actor Jason Schwartzman, added further visibility. After Schwartzman exited in 2003, the band’s style shifted toward a brisker garage-rock approach, evident on the self-titled 2004 album and 2008’s Raise the Dead. Following a lengthy break during which Greenwald pursued solo work, Phantom Planet resurfaced with 2020’s Devastator.

The Los Angeles outfit formed in 1994 when high-school friends singer/guitarist Alex Greenwald, guitarist Jacques Brautbar, bassist Sam Farrar—son of acclaimed songwriter John Farrar—guitarist Darren Robinson, and drummer Jason Schwartzman, son of actress Talia Shire and nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola, began playing together. Taking their name from the 1961 cult science-fiction film The Phantom Planet, they developed a tuneful style shaped by the Beach Boys, Elvis Costello, Electric Light Orchestra, Weezer, Blur, and Radiohead. After performing locally, they signed with Geffen in 1997, issuing their debut, Phantom Planet Is Missing, the next year. Members also appeared in television roles on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Get Real, while Schwartzman landed lead parts in Rushmore (1998) and Slackers (2002); Greenwald modeled and starred in Gap commercials.

In early 2001 the band entered the studio with producers Tchad Blake (Pearl Jam, Sheryl Crow) and Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney), resulting in The Guest, released in 2002 on Dreamworks. The hook-driven single “California” became the album’s second release and was chosen as the theme for the hit series The O.C.; it reached number 35 on the Alternative Songs chart, charted in the Top Ten abroad, and helped place the album on the Billboard 200. Schwartzman departed in August 2003 to concentrate on acting, though he later issued music under the Coconut Records name.

Jeff Conrad joined as drummer for the 2004 album Phantom Planet, produced by Dave Fridmann and marked by a stronger garage-rock direction that peaked at number 95 on the Billboard 200. Brautbar then left to pursue film scoring and other projects. Signed to Fueled by Ramen, the group delivered 2008’s Tony Berg-produced Raise the Dead, which featured the singles “Do the Panic” and “Dropped.”

After a farewell concert at the Troubadour in December 2008, Phantom Planet entered an extended hiatus. Greenwald released solo material and collaborated with the Young Veins and Phases, Farrar formed Operation Aloha alongside members of Gomez and Maroon 5, and Robinson toured with Miniature Tigers. A 2011 reunion brought several Troubadour shows that included Brautbar; around the same period Farrar began balancing Phantom Planet duties with touring as a member of Maroon 5. Following further work on Greenwald’s solo project, the band announced its return with the 2019 Tony Berg-produced single “Balisong,” later included on the fifth album, Devastator, issued in 2020.