The debut single from Kris Halpin, Ghostships, is out now on Matchbox Recordings.Hear it here first...
Overplay.com had this to say about Ghostships: -
Eerie. Like an old lady staring at you on the bus. Maybe she hates you, maybe she wants to make you a nice cup of tea, maybe she’s just picturing herself on a Caribbean beach romp with Daniel O’Donnell. Either way, you’re never quite sure. And that’s the kind of compelling mystery that comes across over three and a half minutes or so in this new track from North Warwickshire singer/songwriter Kris Halpin. A slickly produced slice of throbbing techno-rock that’s unsettling yet full of love at the same time.
You can’t move for singer/songwriters these days, but luckily “Ghostships” sure as mustard ain’t no “You’re Beautiful”. The guitars pulse with menace low in the mix and synthesisers cast a long shadow. Reminiscent of Suicide or moments from Thom Yorke’s ‘Eraser’ album, this glowering sound is the perfect setting for Kris’s deadpan vocal.
“I’d slit my throat to get you back. But don’t feel bad”, he sings with a rich blend of passion and malice. The guitars growl that little bit more at the chorus, while the vocals build and overlap with understated anguish. But for all its darkness, there’s a real beauty to this gothic love song. If you like to nod your head mournfully to the blacker moments of Depeche Mode, Japan or Joy Division, this is well worth coming out of your bedroom for.
---------
Departing from the shores of love
They say there's a fine line between creativity and depression and Kris Halpin's debut single Ghostships has nailed it.
It evokes images of poisoned love: a hard topic to write about and then make sure it doesn't end up sounding like syrupy clichés with some music in the background.
On first listen, it seems depressing but uplifting – a unique mix – as the song is melodic with a fused layering of vocals.
The lyrics are a credit to Halpin's songwriting skills – they're like a swan song from the lovelorn Halpin – “The way you used me/ And now you can forget me”.
His gritty and realistic words are contemporary and true, which is rare in today's tunes, even the grungy drug references – “Gently taking drugs/I would slit my throat/Just to get you back” – are not out of place or even inciting sinister imagery here.
The hauntingly beautiful music of synthesized strings and guitar down play Halpin's husky voice, as if he's in a trance.
Ghostships is definitely not a song to accompany your after-dinner mint. Reserve this one for when your lover leaves you or you're in need of solemn affection.
And Halpin sounds almost sensual when he purrs, “you don't know what you're missing”. Yes, we do, and now we've found it.
Angela Allan
(Angela Allan is a freelance writer and editor. She is also a journalist and features writer for a network of community newspapers in Australia. Visit her MySpace at www.myspace.com/angelkrose.)
| 
