Tom Morello Taps Phantogram for New "Driving To Texas" Single

Tom Morello has tapped New York-based electric duo Phantogram for a new single dubbed “Driving To Texas.” The second single from Morello’s forthcoming The Atlas Underground Fire album, “Driving To Texas” is an eerie and almost ethereal tune — vastly different from “Highway To Hell,” a hard-charging AC/DC cover featuring Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder that served as The Atlas Underground Fire‘s first single.

Clocking in at 5 minutes and 28 seconds, “Driving To Texas” sees haunting lyrics from vocalist Sarah Barthel over a melody from Morello and production from Barthel’s Phantogram partner Josh Carter. Morello gets his time to shine at 4:30, finishing off the song with one of his signature soaring solos. “The guitar solo needed to feel like a vengeful angel who has come down to decide the fate of the protagonist. Will they descend into the abyss or will they find redemption?” says Morello.

The Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave and Prophets of Rage guitarist went along to explain how exactly the collaboration with Phantogram came together as well, saying “I’d worked with Josh from Phantogram on my first Atlas Underground album and I was thrilled when he and Sarah reached out about collaborating on this record. This song is creepy as hell — a dark journey, a struggle for a tortured soul … Sarah has one of the most haunting and beautiful voices of anyone singing today, and Josh’s production is stylistically so fresh and eerie.” Of note is that Morello also worked with Josh Carter on 2018’s The Atlas Underground

Expect The Atlas Underground Fire to release October 15, with both “Highway To Hell,” “Driving To Texas” and other cuts that feature everyone from Damian Marley to Mike Posner.

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