Formed by erstwhile Simian front man Simon Lord and former Wiseguy Theo Keating, The Black Ghosts have been steadily establishing their unique vision of black hearted beats and eldritch tales with a series of superlative club cuts and their lauded ‘Mixtape’ compilation which recently gained high praise from all quarters, including Compilation of the Month accolades in Mixmag and DJ Magazine. Now with the advent of their eponymous debut artist album on July 7th the pair are about to reveal the underbelly of their ethereal electronic soul. Built from the foundations of their pointedly pure dance floor approach, the Black Ghosts add in a host of new elements with Simon’s disquieting lyrical narrative coating Theo’s Machiavellian pop progressions, creating a set that slips effortlessly between visceral electro noir and psychotic torch songs.
‘The Black Ghosts’ opens with the throbbing ‘Some Way Through This’ a kaleidoscope of distant cathedral echoes and Dub Step rhythms perfectly augmented with bittersweet vocals before they crank up the pace with ‘Anyway You Choose To Give It†which sees Simon’s lyrical protagonist racked with doubt as Theo drives a stake straight into the heart of the dance floor. ‘It’s Your Touch’ takes a perfectly timed step away from the inherent darkness with a warped celestial keyboard riff layered over a minimalist drum beat, whilst the incessantly hooky next single, ‘Repetition Kills You’, featuring a mysterious special guest vocal, displays The Black Ghosts’ most welcoming side.
The brilliantly edgy sounds of ‘Until It Comes Again’ and recent single ‘I Want Nothing’ keep things rolling until ‘Full Moon’ adds a wildly different dimension with a firmly folk rooted groove. Aiming straight for the electro-pop jugular ‘I Don’t Know’s persistent electro riffs up the ante once again as ‘Something New’s soulful reflection and ‘Don’t Cry’s high drama lead into the supernaturally stirring finale, ‘Face’.
Accompanied by a series of bespoke films, one for each track of the album and a some truly striking artwork that evokes the very spirit of The Black Ghosts, Simon Lord and Theo Keating’s debut outing is an all-consuming affirmation of their ghetto-gothic aesthetic.