Originally from the Northamptonshire countryside but now based in London, Phantom Isle are Peter Marchant (vocals/guitar), Josh Pullen (keys), Jonny Longland (bass) and Sam Thorne (drums).

Phantom Isle have an edge to them which is reminiscent of some of the ‘70s greatest pop rock groups, blending some soft vocals with heavy guitars and synths and the band are now playing shows with the likes of Childcare and moving in the same London scene as Fat White Family.

Their visceral and ethereal Art Pop music has saw them attract lots of attention, from starring on the beaches of Brighton at The Great Escape Festival, they sold out a two thousand capacity European festival spotlight show and have gained support from BBC Introducing.

Their new single MAR V, released today Wednesday 8 July, sees Phantom Isle stray from their art pop roots to a more danceable synth driven sound.

When asked about the track keyboard player, Joshua Pullen who took the lead with writing the music says: 

The song started as a remix of our previous single I Am Urs but became a very different beast when I was messing about with a new drum machine I bought. I was listening to a lot of Soulwax and Simian Mobile Disco at the time and loved how they would produce songs with a pounding single note loop throughout."

There’s a dark side to MAR V as lyricist and drummer, Sam Thorne explains:

The lyrics were actually written about feeling anxious and alone comparing that feeling to an old friend that follows you through life, saying you almost miss it when you leave it behind.

Singer and guitarist, Peter Marchant adds:

the song pretty much became the soundtrack of MaNo-Musikfestival in Marburg, Germany, where we headlined in March this year.

In fact The song was named due to the success of the track at the festival, as the band arrived in Marburg on March 5, hence the romanised title, MAR V.

MAR V is an absolute beast of a dance tune, with its blistering beat it really sets a melody that you can do nothing else but dance to.

The track is a mix of hypnotic synth beats, complemented by a chilling rhythm that gives the song a hint of darkness and creates a mysterious atmosphere.

It has an upbeat and energetic feel with it’s electro dance vibe, and this switch from their usual style shows great ambition from Phantom Isle and really highlights their capability to blend genres and moods for maximum effect.

The lyrics although used sparingly are used to describe that feeling of anxiousness as illustrated by the lines “what can I do the faces forever is yours, but if you find me to be the one who breaks the rules, cos I’m here alone now and heaven knows how this will go, I’m here alone now”.

It’s light on lyric content because the focus of the song is that completely captivating blistering dance beat.

MAR V is an outstanding dance track, it is certainly going to get significant airplay as it is a track that will shake you from your COVID slumber and have you busting out some serious moves.

Give MAR V a stream now:

https://open.spotify.com/album/5RPz7EoZVU7ZmSCM6Js4y3?si=4xDJmVQZQ3Cn9meiRTS0nA

Directed by Matthew Nelson, the video for MAR V is as surreal and chaotic as the world that we’re living in at the moment, reflecting the pulsating energy of the song itself, wall-to-wall with everything from flashes of a latex clad gas masked dancer to tour and lockdown antics.

Discussing the video, director Matthew Nelson explains: 

The concept behind the video was a glorified tour vlog turned nightmare. I took influences from directors like Darren Aronofsky and the 90s dance track “Killer” by ADAMSKI.

Some of the footage used in the video was from the last show that the band played just before lockdown, which was in front of a 1,000-strong crowd at MaNo-Musikfestival in Germany. Drummer, Sam Thorne says:

I’d say that the video sort of represents our experience over the last 5 months. The craziness of MaNo and those amazing gigs, all the people and parties, and then a different kind of craziness once we crash landed into lockdown straight after.

Lead singer and guitarist, Peter Marchant continues: 

We had all this footage of us on tour, in the studio etc. which is all well and good, but we wanted to throw some kind of bizarre fly in the ointment. So Matthew suggested we film lots of extra footage in our flat, and use whatever bonkers ideas that came into our heads. We had a lot of hilarious moments shooting these ideas all night.

The official video is below:

Phantom Isle can be followed on Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Spotify:

https://www.phantomisle.com/

https://www.facebook.com/phantom.isle/

https://instagram.com/phantom.isle?igshid=1use3jxkhvakj

https://twitter.com/phantom_isle

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Bf3u7TmBLWZG6vFALqj7M?si=6_zq41YcSteFBgWbs3gtnw