Being young means taking inspiration from wherever you can for preferably as little money as possible: the people at your local coffee shop, the museums you don't have to pay to enter, the songs you can play over and over again as you try to figure out what you want to make. At the beginning of their career, Phoenix weren't appreciably closer toward becoming the poised machine of the modern era, but a collection of young dudes still trying to figure out what their purpose was. "I think we were all really conscious in the beginning that we weren't really able to be a band," says guitarist Laurent Brancowitz.But in driving through the tunnel between Paris and Versailles, the band discovered some of the elements they'd eventually hope to evoke with their music: speed, silence and light, blurring together in a continuum of serene ecstasy. "We called many instrumental tracks 'tunnels' because it would remind us of the light you have when you drive through a tunnel," says bassist Deck d'Arcy. "I think I've driven to Versailles between 1,000 and 10,000 times." That drive is where Laurent came up with the title for "If I Feel Better"; that drive is where Phoenix consolidated their youthful ambition into something to build a life off of. "You know the first place when you move out from your parents. It's the most exciting thing that can happen to you when you're 18," says d'Arcy. Or, as Brancowitz puts it, "The world is opening in front of you."Eventually, those drives paid off: Phoenix signed their first contract, and began their ascent to where they are today. "You feel a mix of pure pleasure and pure fear," says Brancowitz of that first contract. "We knew the scales were very important and it was very important to not lose this sense of friendship you have when you're sure you're going to conquer the world." If they ever forgot, all they'd have to do is go back to the tunnel.