There’s records out there that, when a single or two gets released and they’re just so fantastic right off the bat, it becomes a little suspect. Mostly because back in the days before instant grat releases and being able to hear something in its’ entirety right away some artists/labels/management would purposely put out misleading singles to hook in new listeners to bolster sales (Lookin’ at you, Sugar Ray, and the “Fly”/Floored debacle of ’97!) Then there’s another scenario when you get exactly what you expect and an all around solid release which is obviously rad as hell and more preferable. And the third set up in our little paragraph of pondering is when the rest of the record just blows you out of the water in the best way possible. With us talking up Ghost On TV and debut LP Mister Silence today, where do you think we’re going with this?
“Beckon” is a hype builder, creating a transcendent atmosphere that’s electric as GOT G.O.A.T. Paul DePasquale conjures up meticulously crafted musical creations here and throughout Mister Silence that takes the Indie aesthetic of many an experimental Rawk outfit of the mid-Aughts and injects that with what we think was a Golden Age of Trip-Hop in the mid-90’s (Massive Attack, Portishead, and Tricky especially come to mind). Previous preview singles “Drained” and “Daily Laws” strike next like a one-two punch of awesomesauce coming off as hype maintainers of sorts and just some essential listening within the Mister Silence context solidifying Ghost On TV’s current reign as the progenitors of Trip-Hop in Boston.
“Pictures Of Us” does nothing to dissuade our initial assessment that this is an album that’s some essential listening in 2025 as the catchy programmed shuffling of the snares and subtle melodies that continually add to the vibes lead to a massive wall of vocals. “Crashonomics” is the Beastie Boys/Soul Coughing collab you never knew you needed in your life with DePasquale’s effects-laden vocal flow on point with hypnotic piano lines, bombastic beats, and some sick bass lines swirling about while “Turn It Back Around” is intricate and intimate and intrinsic from start to finish. Did someone say “finish” (See what we did there???) because that’s what’s gotta happen eventually here and with Mister Silence, it’s the title track that takes the final bow and adds one more sultry slab of syncopated synthetic synergy to the already unforgettable MS mix.
Mister Silence arrives through Swoom Records on February 21st and you can lock down a copy of your own through all of your most favorite DSP’s which are all conveniently located here. For more from Ghost On TV, follow the trail of socials across the interwebs by clicking here or here.