SonOfOld balances familiarity and originality in their latest EP Ghosts to create something that’s as engaging as it is dynamic.
Ghosts: the follow up to SonOfOld’s self-titled album, is one of those rare EPs that manages to be consistently excellent from start to finish. Each of the six songs has its own identity but still manages to fall into an unmistakable style.
In terms of structure things are mostly what you’d expect from a hard rock album which provides a familiar foundation for compositional embellishments that create a dark but vibrant world which feels ever-so-slightly like a tinderbox waiting for a spark.
Between the relatively conventional strains of opening track “Father Father” and “She Talks About It,” the sneering waltz that brings things to a close, Ghosts dabbles in a range of styles.
Making up the meat of the album are songs like the high-impact punk-driven “J the Same” whose bass, at times, gets so low it feels like it’s pulling the world out from underneath you, and the murky and sardonic “I Told You Once” where the vocals take on a hillbilly hue and make the whole thing feel borderline unhinged.
However there’s one song that caught my ear more than the rest. “Throw Me A Line,” whose existentially unnerving video is well worth a watch, pulsates with intense and unrelenting force, its different melodies coming together to create an atmosphere that’s chaotic in its melancholy.
Ghosts, seemingly effortlessly, is a collection of songs that’s about as flawless as you’ll find. There’s a consistency in style throughout that’s unmistakable and immersive while also giving each song the space to find its own personal identity.
Feature pic supplied by artist
