Post-Punk | Mother Ghost: Radio Fantasma (Geodesic Records / 19 July 2024)

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Post-Punk
Mother Ghost: Radio Fantasma
(Geodesic Records / 19 July 2024)

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Electronica, what they used to call New Wave rock, synth pop - all of the above apply to Radio Fantasma, the new release by Mother Ghost. They cite the likes of New Order, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, and Daft Punk as their inspirations, and it's easy to hear.

Mother Ghost - album cover with skulls

As inspiration goes, it's good source material for experimentation. The songs have appropriately post-punk titles - Dead Inside, Negative Affirmations, and so on - and lyrics to match. Their music is in your face in terms of approach, anchored by a driving punk beat in a modern drums & bass kind of vibe, ranging from aggressive punk to melodic New Wave, with a dash of jazz thrown in here and there.

Mother Ghost is brothers Oscar and Thomas Flores, based in Houston, TX. Between the two of them, they play/program all the instruments, and sing. Oscar is the main vocalist, with just the right emotive and angsty delivery for the music.

Con Colmillo breaks the pattern in a Spanish song, sung with low key vocals in a lower range. Bury Loose has a faster, straight up punk feel - in the words and the music.

Everything falls apart
Before you even start... 

Brothers Oscar and Thomas Flores, Mother Ghost
Brothers Oscar and Thomas Flores, Mother Ghost (Photo: Daniel Jackson)

The album was largely written and recorded during the pandemic. The brothers Flores commented on the process in a statement. 

"We have loved having the time to focus in the studio, allowing us to experiment and discover the right sound for each song. 

Radio Fantasma is about the anxieties of everyday life and the things that help us get through to the next day. Most of the lyrics on the album come from our personal life, a news story, or social grievance."

The title track returns solidly to New Wave territory, with a danceable groove and heavy bass line.

It's for fans of the post-punk era and its genres, done here with a sense of invention.

Musician Names/Instruments: Oscar Flores – Guitar/Vocals/Programming; Thomas Flores –Bass/Programming/Synths/Backing Vocals

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