Phantom Planet

Formed in Los Angeles in 1994 around Alex Greenwald, Sam Farrar, Darren Robinson, Jacques Brautbar and Jason Schwartzman, Phantom Planet first developed on Hollywood's rock scene before releasing Phantom Planet Is Missing in 1998. On The Guest (2002) the band refined a sound that blended power pop, pop rock and melodic alternative rock; the song "California" later became a defining moment when it was used as the theme for the TV series The O.C. After founding drummer Jason Schwartzman left in 2003, Phantom Planet tightened its sound on the self-titled album Phantom Planet (2004), which leaned more toward garage rock, and followed with Raise the Dead (2008). The band went on hiatus that same year, reunited intermittently in the early 2010s and returned more fully in 2019. Centered on Alex Greenwald, Sam Farrar and Darren Robinson, Phantom Planet resumed recording and released Devastator in 2020, an album mixing taut guitars, pop choruses and a more direct approach to American indie rock. Since then they have released several singles and continue to tour, with Andrew Parker on drums in the current lineup.