Phantogram @ Union Transfer.

Text by Kirsten Stamn. Images by Grace Dickinson.

When not whipping her glossy dark hair, chopped just above her shoulders, as she rocked out onstage, Sarah Barthel of the electronic rock duo Phantogram was crooning lyrics to the group’s hits like “Mouthful of Diamonds” and “When I’m Small” in a whispery, lilting voice that didn’t belie her exhaustion.

“It’s the end of our tour, so I might be a little kooky,” she told the audience near the end of their set.

Wrapping up their tour of their newest EP, Nightlife, Barthel and Josh Carter have been playing to their adoring fans all around the country.

But here in Philadelphia, where they played at Union Transfer last week, the native upstate New Yorkers took one look around the room and agreed with a smile, “It’s nice to be back in the East Coast.”

Those were about the only words heard from the group, as they launched into their set without introduction and played one trippy song after another.

Keeping to their respective stations as a rule, they played a show that was both danceable and relaxing, lulling the audience into a sort of trance before jolting them out with a sudden rocking out of the drums or an abrupt, jarring halt at the end of the song.

It was energizing in a subtle way.

While Barthel tended to take up more of the stage, Carter made sure his voice was heard, infusing their songs with his slightly twangy and dangerously smooth voice, winning the hearts of both men and women in the audience.

After disappearing briefly, Phantogram rocked out their encore, starting with the song “Nightlife” and ending with a hasty apology for not thanking their opener, Exitmusic. As the audience stood in slightly befuddled anticipation, waiting perhaps for more music, the duo took off for some much needed rest.