Words by Kaysei Galea
60s surf riffs, standoffs and strength in sound: Super Ghost serve up their debut EP.
Gold Coast alt-rock outfit Super Ghost make their distinctive mark on the SEQ music scene, releasing their debut EP ‘Left For Dust’ today. Although inspired by an assortment of genres, ‘Left For Dust’ is a multi-faceted and well-rounded body of work by the duo (Hudson MacMahon & Alexander Shoesmith), exploring themes that naturally arise living in our thought-provoking, and most times questionable, modern landscape.
We’re lulled into a false sense of security during the intro of the EP’s first track Lullaby, seemingly being rocked to sleep with a gentle waltz feel before being thrown awake by an up-tempo instrumental. With emotive vocals, a driving rhythm section and well-thought-out tempo changes, the song conveys the trouble one can find themselves in as the lies they weave compound around them. We’re even treated to a suave guitar solo as we head into the final chorus, rounding out the first track of the EP nicely.
Second track Graceless plunges us into a world of old school western standoffs, building tension and unease as MacMahon and Shoesmith shed light on the effect of social phobias. Unafraid of genre exploration, the duo swirl together elements of surf-rock, spaghetti western soundtracks and perhaps even a sprinkle of ska, making for a sure-fire crowd mover when played live. Um, let’s also not brush over the beautiful trumpet trills and turns here!
Kicking off with an oof-provoking bassline, the pair dare to experiment with math rock elements and key signature changes in Preserved. The third track of the EP explores how technology continues to take over modern society and consume priceless relics of the past, with the vocals well supported by a strong rhythm guitar and percussion combination. The track finishes with an empowered and in-unison instrumental outro, tying up the first half of the EP neatly and sweetly.
MacMahon and Shoesmith kick it up a gear with the shortest track of the EP, Haze. The high BPM and drum onslaught packs a serious punch, leaving us with no choice but to bop along. Lyrically clever, track four leaves itself open to easy singalong and audience participation during live sets, with the “In that golden haze!” tagline sure to be a crowd hit. The duo question the role that media and marketing play in sparking worry among the masses, and deliver it as their most up-tempo, high energy track of the EP.
The penultimate track, and the band’s debut release, Vertex takes a slightly different route with mindful production choices leaving more room to breathe. Short and sweet, track five investigates the push to conform to societal norms, with vocals transitioning from strength to vulnerability throughout and instrumentation stripping back to allow for consideration of theme.
The duo wind up an energetic EP with their final track Waiting List, dishing up a unique waltz-influenced alt-rock piece. The gritty bass intro sets the mood for an unsettling finale, highlighting feelings of isolation and loneliness, but appropriately rounding out a convincing debut body of work by Super Ghost.
SUPER GHOST – ‘Left For Dust’ – out now everywhere. Listen here!
FOLLOW SUPER GHOST
Thanks to Kick Push PR