Formed in Bremen, Germany in 2020, Phantom Bay emerged directly out of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Fronted by vocalist and guitarist Michael Hanser, the band channels the claustrophobia and anguish of that era into a tight, relentless brand of emotive post-hardcore and punk rock. They blend the urgency of 80s Washington D.C. hardcore with the melodic sensibilities of 90s emo and 2000s melodic hardcore.

The band quickly garnered underground acclaim, with Norman Brannon's tastemaker zine Anti-Matter championing them as "one of the brightest lights in hardcore's future." Their musical ethos strongly pays tribute to the underground community's historic fondness for brevity, relentlessness, and authentic self-expression.