We are back with another incredible inter-review, previously postponed due to some scheduling conflicts, but today I am so thrilled to give a double-feature review of Some Ghosts' songs "Had It All" and "Sable".
Some Ghosts are an emo/alternative band from Bristol, PA. and consists of
Joe Lipski - Drums
Justin Henderson - Guitar/Vocals
Justin Thomashefsky - Guitar/Vocals
Michael Horvath - Bass
I first came across Some Ghosts as a fellow PA local, through some mutual friends, right as their first single "Sleep Soon" released on Spotify in November of 2019, and I've been following them ever since. The songs we are covering today have been quickly added to my rotation and are now permanently sitting in the majority of my playlists.
Had It All:
Released on October 3rd, 2024, "Had It All" was the first single from Some Ghosts since their self-titled album from 2023, which is, granted, a pretty good turnaround time. Their productivity has been steady and consistent since 2019.
Not to come off as redundant, but I have always admired Some Ghosts ability to make their songs sound ghostly. I feel that saying the sound is "haunting" would give off the wrong connotation, whereas "ghostly" really does feel like the right word choice to me. The song starts with a slow, soft, and eerie guitar riff that impressively evokes emotions of loneliness and distance. For me personally, this intro instantly teleports me back to being in middle school, walking through the snow while the sky is pitch black at 5pm, wallowing in my own self-hatred thinking life couldn't get any worse. That might be too specific of an anecdote, but what I am trying to convey is the effectiveness of this sound that is able to take me back to long-gone memories in a visceral way. After a quick thirteen seconds, the rest of the band floods in at the cue of a screaming harmonic from the guitar. The lead guitar shines with a memorable riff before everything makes room for the vocals to come into focus. "Was it fear, or was it feeling?" captivates us with a somber affect and intonation in their tone, utilizing layers of vocals subtly in the song's mix. The lyrics are somewhat cryptic, written poetically, using so many metaphors to be deciphered, resulting in a song about betrayal despite best efforts being put into fixing a person and their situation, a recurring phrase "you never cared anyway". There is a powerful usage of dual vocals nearing the end, the main vocals clear and discernable singing
"I can't let go, I can't let go
You never said sorry,
retracing your stories
And finding new answers
Inside of old pictures"
While simultaneously a harsh screaming vocal is filling the margins with
"We could've had it all
But now it's dead and gone"
After a few repetitions of these competing vocals, we enter an absolute musical and emotional breakdown where the screaming vocals take over and end the song with
"So if that's who you wanna be
Then drown in the sound
So if that's who you wanna be
Then drown"
A huge dichotomy from how the song begins to how it ends, starting with a melancholy guitar to a full band meltdown and screaming match, not even a second of breathing room as the song ends the exact instant the vocals do. I can't wait to hear what song comes after this on the finalized tracklist of whatever future release it appears on. This song sits at 2 minutes and 18 seconds, and despite the slow intro, it picks up so quickly and the pacing is amazing, this song really flies by and leaves you craving it, wanting to listen over and over again.
Sable:
The second track we are discussing today is the follow-up to "Had It All"; released on October 31st, 2024, after a slight delay from its original scheduled release of October 18th, "Sable" continues with the sonic tone that I've grown fond of and have come to expect from Some Ghosts. Opening with drums at a modest volume, the vocals start off light with "I love the way you stay inside my head all night" which is later paralleled with "I hate the way you come and go without a word exchanged". In the grand scheme of things, I would not consider Some Ghosts a "heavy" band per se, there are definitely varying degrees and influence of heaviness, but this song is a lot less intense than "Had It All"; to be clear, neither of these songs are blatantly aggressive, but maybe a good way to describe it is "Sable" seems like a song that would be more likely to get radio play. That is not to say that one song is better than the other, just trying to describe the differing degrees between the two. The chorus pops up a few times with a full band yelling "Hey!" and then followed by "won't you come a little, won't you come a little closer" with a drawn out and well-sung "closer". Lyrically, there are a lot of consistencies between "Sable" and "Had It All", this one gives more of a theme of masochism, talking about someone who is simultaneously a poison as well as an antidote, wanting to bleed and scream. The vocals and instrumentals do have their fair share of buildup and aggression, but there is very minimal full blown screaming compared to "Had It All". About halfway through the song, there is a noticeable change when the guitar gets a little funky and there are distant vocals that blend into the mix until the main vocals punch in again with
"You're fucking me up every time that we kiss
I can't get enough of the taste of your lips
Got me feeling in love with the shape of your hips
Your poisonous touch I can't get enough"
One of the final, drawn out "closer"s from the last chorus is VERY impressive with some fantastic harmonies as the notes get higher and higher. I think there is a lot to admire about this track, it really feels like there was a lot of intention behind each individual piece of the puzzle. All the instruments are very tight and compliment each other well, playing off of each other and the vocals, fitting into place very strategically. I think more creative risks were taken within everyone's instrumentation as well as really trying to emphasize the vocalists' skills. I think this song was designed to get stuck in your head and sang along to; the chorus is simple enough without a ton of words (though, I could see myself getting a little bit tongue tied on occasion), but it repeats enough times that I think most people would catch on before the song ends upon their first listen.
Both of these songs compliment each other very well; I think they are unique enough in their own right but show a variety of what Some Ghosts is capable of while still upholding their memorable sound and not straying too far from each other. These songs sound different enough that it doesn't feel like beating a dead horse, but they also match each other so well that it doesn't feel like whiplash when going back and forth between them.
I am very happy I finally got to sit down and write about these two tracks. I am very excited to see what continues to come from Some Ghosts in the future. It was truly a pleasure to work with them on this inter-review. I hope you all give these songs some love, and I hope you all stick around to read the INCREDIBLE INTERVIEW with the WHOLE band down below!
Interview:
Who came up with the band name "Some Ghosts" and how? What does it mean, what is the story behind it?
From the band: The meaning behind the Some Ghosts name came from an email subject line. Josh Mckelvey the guy who did our original artwork of our 4 ghosts logo we found from a random Instagram post . We hit him up to use it for the band and the subject line in the email he sent to us was “Some More Ghosts” and we just thought Some Ghosts would be a dope band name. We wish it was cooler or deeper but that’s what it is haha.
Who writes the songs? Is it fully collaborative or do you each individually write your parts or come up with ideas and bring them to band practice? What is the process like for you?
Joe: It’s a little bit of everything. Sometimes someone brings an idea into the practice space and we workshop it until it sounds right. Other times someone brings a song pretty much mapped out, and we each write our own parts to add to the idea, or whatever is best for the song.
Justin T: Ditto
You recently released "Sable" on Halloween, but its original working title was "PEMDAS (Tom Nook's Revenge)". There's a lot to unpack there, where did the original title come from, what does it mean, why was it changed? Are there any other songs you've released that have had title changes?
Justin H: I legitimately don’t remember why we called it PEMDAS. We were workshopping a bunch of different “jokey” names ala Hot Mulligan. We’re huge animal crossing fans and I have an amiibo of tom nook on my recording desk, which was the inspiration for the Tom Nook’s Revenge working title we ran with until a few weeks before the song was released.
For example our song Same Routine was called “Ben Simmons Summer Workout”
We usually have working titles for songs until a few weeks until the song is uploaded into the world, and they’re always dumb as hell with no meaning.
Justin T: Our most recent demo we’re working on is titled “oh shit we’re midwest emo again”
Mike: We also wanted it to be a little less on the nose of being named after an animal crossing character haha
How did you all meet? Can you tell me the story of how Some Ghosts came into existence? Were any of you in other bands previously?
Joe: I met the boys from a mutual friend of ours and they sent me a few demos. I listened to the demos and was genuinely impressed with what I had heard. I made sure to learn and practice the demos to the best of my ability and I had them over my house for a practice. We rehearsed the demos and we knew immediately we were all a good fit for each other.
Justin H: I have been deeply in love with Mike for many years, I also have a collection of naked photos of Justin T on my phone. We’re really fucked up brothers. We also met Joe through a mutual friend, we honestly thought he was going to be horrible drums and we were shocked the first time we played music together.
Justin T: Me, Justin, and Mike were a part of various projects and in the same scene growing up. In college, we separated and got back together ending up forming “Everything I Lack” which really is what Some Ghosts ended up continuing and expanding upon what we started with in Everything I Lack.
Mike: The way I originally got linked up with Justin H and then eventually Justin T was through facebook. Justin H posted that he needed a bassist for his new band. I hit up Justin saying I was down and I ended up walking my heavy ass bass amp and guitar two miles to his house in the middle of summer as a 15 year old. We really got off to a hot, sweaty, and wet start you can say. But yeah over the years the various different projects we’ve all been involved have really helped shape what Some Ghosts is today.
You mentioned to me in your submission email that there was some contention within the band after your self-titled album was released, would you be comfortable elaborating on that? What was going on and how did you all manage to work it out, ultimately deciding you still wanted to release music together?
Joe: I remember everyone had been pretty frustrated during and after the recording and release of the debut album. It seemed like there was a lack of communication and we were looking at a potential break up. I was hoping there was a way we could work it out together and luckily we were able to have a discussion and as Justin mentioned, a stranger overheard us, told us what we needed to hear and we decided to keep moving forward as a band and as friends.
Justin H: We recorded that album for almost two years and it was just exhausting. We would write, demo, rewrite, demo, and we were stuck in this constant state of bickering. I also engineer and produce our music, and it’s a really tough spot to tell your best friends that what they’re bringing to the table just isn’t good enough and to go back to the drawing board. It just got to the point where we weren’t agreeing on much. We took about six months off from the band, and were going to call it quits. We met at a local brewery to discuss who gets custody of Joe, and a random stranger overheard us talking and told us to get our shit together and make it work. And we did.
Justin T: We’ve been playing music for so long with each other that we’re like an old married couple. We have years of baggage and bullshit to sift through, and the album was just an example of one of those moments where we had to take a step back and make it work.
Mike: I agree with everything said. I also just want to mention that since the album took way longer than we intended or wanted we lost a lot of confidence and energy along the way. We really started to doubt the songs and were over analyzing way too much which led to too many revisions, failed expectations, unsaid things, and some hurt feelings over us just getting in our way. When at the end of the day this is supposed to be about fun and expression.
Have any of your approaches to writing, recording, releasing music changed in between your last full-length release and now? Is there anything you'd like to do differently in the future?
Joe: We're just trying to simplify the writing on these songs and not get too hung up on revisions or changes. We’re finding it’s best to just write the part and then leave it alone.
Justin H: Having fun honestly. Being more free with the creative process and focusing more on what the song needs rather than try and do something different
Justin T: No more albums
Mike: Just being in it for the right reasons and not taking ourselves so seriously. When you go in with that attitude it’s so much more fun and I think the songs reflect that we are having more fun.
"Had It All" and "Sable" are great singles to follow your last album, what should we expect next? What is your overall plan or next big goal?
Joe: I just want to keep recording music with the boys and keep putting it out. We’d definitely like to put out some more video content as well.
Justin H: More music. Only goal is to play more shows
Justin T: Keep releasing music, keep playing shows
Mike: Keep the main thing the main thing, we want to just continue making music and hopefully people like it, at the end of the day we make music for us and if other people are into it then awesome! Keep making music and playing out. With the continued hope more and more people relate and want more.
I was lucky enough to see you perform in October, and you all dressed up as Trailer Park Boys, could you tell me how you decided who would dress as who? Whose idea was it to dress as them? And do you all have favorite episodes of Trailer Park Boys?
Justin H: Our go to Halloween costume as a group has been the trailer park boys. Joe and Justin T resemble J roc and Julian, and Mike and I are basically in a relationship so we play the Lahey Randy dynamic really well
From the band: The episode “Jim Lahey Is a Fucking Drunk” is by far our favorite, but everything from the first five or so seasons is gold
"Sable" was released on October 31st, 2024, what did you do to celebrate its release/Halloween? Considering your band name being ghost themed, I'd assume most of you are probably enjoyers of Halloween, is that correct? What is your favorite candy and what are your favorite costumes you've ever dressed as?
Joe: Man we aint do nuthin
Justin H: Went to work and handed out candy to kids at night, we kept it super lowkey
Justin T: Went to work LOL
Mike: Same as Justin H, my one year old daughter danced with me to it a bunch haha
Who are some of your biggest influences for making music? What instruments do you play and what made you want to play them? Have you always wanted to make music? Do you hope to make a full-time career out of your music or would you prefer it to just be a hobby?
Joe: Justin H, Mike and I are all huge fans of Blink 182 so were able to bond over that. Justin T and I are both big fans of Say Anything so were able to bond over that. Beyond that I've always taken a lot of influence from the drummers of bands like Title-Fight, Turnstile, The Wonder Years etc.
Justin H: My cousin Sean was living with us for the summer, and he brought his collection of early 2000s emo. From the first time I heard blink-182 and taking back sunday I knew I wanted to make music. I still make it to this day as my personal form of therapy, it’s always a good day if I can make music with the boys.
Justin T: I just like making things. I get a lot of my influence from everything I listened to from bands like Say Anything and William Bonney to jazz musicians and various big bands.
Mike: There are a ton of artists and bands I could name that are deep into my subconscious influences like blink 182, coheed, radiohead, TTNG etc, but honestly at this point the main influence is having a medium with my best buds to navigate life
Are there any friends, family, or other musicians you would like to use this time to give a shoutout?
Joe: Yes! Bands like Seismic Toss, Monstera, Keep Your Secrets, Bellevue Sucks and Weatherworn have always been very good to us and we’d like to thank them for all the shows they’ve invited us to come play. I also want to give a shout out to my brother Dylan McDowell for coming to all our shows and being a huge support and always hyping us up!
Justin T: My brother was a huge influence to my music taste growing up. My Mom and Dad have always been supportive. Tyler Carmody for being the unofficial 5th member of Some Ghosts. Lastly, Brandon Wilson who helped write our album Stay Inside when we released that album under the name Everything I Lack.
Mike: Shout out to my other musical brother Charlie Dubuc and of course TCarms.
Thank you all again SO MUCH for being willing to give me some of your time to answer these questions. I’m so glad that you guys are still all good friends and making some awesome music. I am a huge fan and am so happy I’ve gotten to spend this time with you!
You can (and SHOULD) stream “Had It All” and “Sable” on all streaming platforms, and you can find all their super special links and social media HERE!
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