“I hope this record is universal for the listener. I hope it is an album they choose to listen to while working out, while driving, on amazing days, and on awful days.”-George Danahy (Lead Vocals/Guitar)
Just like The Ghouls’ Danahy proclaimed in the press release for the upcoming debut LP from the Lowell quartet, Handle With Care should be listened in all the ways as it truly it a riotous celebration of all things Rawk and guaranteed to put a smile on your face no matter your mood. We went the driving route for our initial listen and then via ye olde laptop and y’know what, we can confirm that it slaps no matter where you happen to listen to it.
If your only exposure to the 2024 Rock & Roll Rumble CHAMPS, The Ghouls, is their breakout single “Hellbound” (We’ll touch on that one again a little later) then you are in for a TREAT with this full-length as it touches on a little of everything genre-wise but still rallies around this unique and distinct The Ghouls sound. Across Handle With Care one can find bits of The Strokes’ brand of Indie and also some of that Party Pop stuff that fellow MA rawksters Kooked Out do so well but if you dig deeper you’ll hear the snarly bravado of mid-’90’s Pop Punk (“Pocket of God”), Arctic Monkeys-esque mature machinations (Think Humbug and beyond regarding “Lovestruck”), and even a dipping of toes into the Post-Punk pool (“Scopophobia”).
Didn’t mention a genre you’re into yet? Stick around and chances are that The Ghouls will have you covered! “Garfield” has that mid-00’s Indie Rawk aesthetic we mentioned as the rhythm section of bassist Jacob Babcock and drummer Bryce Maher set a rollicking tone with Peter Trainor and Danahy’s guitars jinglin’ and janglin’ followed by Danahy’s croon creating some heavenly harmonies over all while later, The Ghouls go full blown ballad on the heartfelt “For You”.
The earworm to end all earworms, that aforementioned “Hellbound”, lands smack dab in the middle of HWC and acts as a reset or a comfort blanket for those who’ve already experienced this massively infectious jam. We hadn’t heard it in a minute and since listening while reviewing we can’t get it out of our heads. Hell, the mere mention of the song brings the main riffs from Trainor and Danahy into the forefront of our grey matter immediately. Need a blueprint on how to craft a memorable perennial anthem? Ask The Ghouls!.
Elsewhere, “Reach for the Sky” gets all acoustical on this lush ditty filled with vibrant strumming, searing soloing and sweeping vocal passages while “Game” is another awesome anthem with elements of Ska and Reggae intertwined into The Ghouls’ impressive aural arsenal. Lastly, “Goodbye” is the best kind of album closer and an all around kick ass pick-me-up kind of Alterna-Power Punk anthem (Yes, we know we’ve used that word a lot… because Handle With Care is filled with ’em!) that’s sure to be a live favorite if it isn’t already.
Handle With Care releases on May 30th and you can pre-save your copy now by heading here. For more from The Ghouls, including all the info on their show a week out from release on June 6th at Middle East Upstairs with The Roscoe’s, Mike’s Carwash & Ron’s Car (Advance tix here), hop on the information superhighway and make sure to stop off here or here.