Love Ghost – Tales of a Sad Boy (2023)
Faced with new music each day is exciting but it can also lead to disillusionment as everything begins to sound the same. For me, at least, it takes real talent to stand out from the rest and Love Ghost has talent in abundance. From their single ‘Outer Space’ (released in 2020) to the most recent EP Tales of a Sad Boy (released last week), US-based pop-punk group Love Ghost is constantly batting about my cerebellum ensuring I never forget their name. Featured on Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Rising Artists Blog, Sinusoidal Music, and numerous notable publications, the foursome is turning heads (and keeping them turned) on an international scale.
Following their EP Venganza Del Fantasma – a collaborative four-track release entwining their pop-punk sentiments with Latin pop artists; Love Ghost releases another collaborative, four-track EP with Tales of a Sad Boy. Unlike Venganza Del Fantasma, the lads work with only one musician instead of several – the renowned emo rapper Big Boss Mulaa. This doesn’t by any means lead to a sense of monotony in Tales of a Sad Boy. In fact, it showcases the musicians’ innovation, versatility and ingenuity.
Opening with the song ‘Heartless’, Love Ghost immediately capture the emo/pop-punk sounds of the late 90s and 2000s. I would compare the group to My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Asking Alexandria; however, over the years the band have developed a distinctive “old-school pop-punk meets modern alt-rock” quality to their music and this is evident in ‘Heartless’.
While Tales of a Sad Boy opens with a bold, brash, guitar-driven pop-punk song, the lads quickly transition to a soothing and soft, albeit it heart-breaking, track in ‘Lethargic’. Introducing the delights of Big Boss Mulaa, dynamic rap swirls about the tender ballad. I find this intriguing as it shows a sensitive side to Love Ghost wrapping you in a comfortable emo blanket (is there such a thing?). ‘Lethargic’ is, well, lethargic but the next song, ‘Samurai’, blows the top off any sense of comfort. Aggressive, filled with angst, and a song to scream aloud to, Love Ghost blends elements of nu-metal into their distinctive sound.
‘Samurai’ may be my favourite track with its explosive attitude, but ‘Train Tracks’ is potentially the most heartfelt for me. The aggression of ‘Samurai’ underlies the melancholic and painful verses leading you through an intensely emotional sonic forest. I like to think ‘Train Tracks’ is the signature sound of Love Ghost but, hey, their music is so diverse it is difficult to classify the genre-bending band.
Reading this EP review, as well as my previous reviews of Love Ghost, one can easily say I am a fan of the group. I love their vivacity, fearless flash and daring to be something different. Blend the moving melodies with profound lyricism and you have a band that is not afraid to reach into your soul, bring out those provocative emotions and parade them with rock-infused intensity.
For more from Love Ghost, check out their official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
