Sometimes, dirty laundry is best aired to prevent a smell from inhabiting your closet. Indie pop, quasi-shoegaze duo CULTS know the imprisonment of past relationships all to well, channeling any ‘unfinished business’ with exs in their cathartic new album dedicated To The Ghosts.
But not all ghosts are cut from the same cloth. Or bedsheet.
Some come at you shrieking, others are deceptively sweet, and the real bad ones can bring you to tears like “Onions”, yet all ghosts have one thing in common — they haunt. They aren’t there to better the story or exhibit any post-mortem character growth; ghosts are fixed phantoms in time and space, existing solely to terrorize you at your most vulnerable. That is, if you let them.
For those of us — including myself — who have bounced from one poorly matched partner to another, it’s hard to heal scars in a short amount of time. You can’t sublet your heart to someone new when your last tenant squats in defiance. Hence we have to clean house… or in true CULT-like fashion, perform an exorcism.
The new album starts with “Crybaby” — targeting a true Moaning Myrtle. You can date someone inherently negative or cynical, but when it turns into endless victimology from the slightest grievance (or grievances perceived), it’s time to call them like you see them. “Crybaby! So caught up in your misery,” sings chanteuse Madeline Follin. Putting you constantly “at ease” is “no life for me”. With bongo drums and chiming bells, the soft instrumentation matches the persona of a mushie gushie gumdrop of a partner.
An easy exorcism, to say the least…
Next up is “Left My Keys”, an upbeat reminiscent track on young love and it’s [false] promises. “We can drive all night // We can go anywhere”… except go forward. Putting yesteryear brilliantly into sound is Brian Oblivion on the keys, switching to organ right at the chorus — the moment Follin switches from past tense to present. Listeners are then led to “Onions” — a wholly different kind of demon. Logically, it makes sense to avoid things that are harmful. Yet, here we are chopping onions on the regular despite the burn. “Funny no one tells you why we’ve been eating things that can hurt us,” Follin sings. It’s psychological warfare with this ghost, making it seem like we want them all the while tearing us up (literally). We can’t beat ourselves up for trying an onion if society deems it okay.
The rest of the album continues in this fashion, detailing battles of the heart like a diary with a vendetta, until we hit the grand finale of “Hung The Moon”. After 12 tracks of lamentation, true love might exist after all. “They can’t imitate the things that you do // Let it saturate // A love in bloom // I know it’s you,” Follin sings, free of torment.
Like George and Mary in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, star-crossed lovers can indeed lasso the moon.
This passive, yet impassioned album proves how easily falling in love can turn into a fall from grace — a concept visualized in photography by Shervin Lainez. The album cover is a prime example of how photos speak louder than words, summarizing the entire album in one scene: a strange mist stretches a hand towards Follin, bearing a satin nightgown in a spotlight… which normally would be sexy if not for the filthy crew socks on her feet. She’s stepped in dirt for too long; time to do some laundry.
To The Ghosts is not only streaming on all digital outlets as of July 26th, it’s also available as a limited edition pressing! The 180-gram black vinyl edition is a luck of the draw for fans, made in “Crystal Blue”, “Pinkurple”, and “Green Onion” colorations. And the awesome doesn’t stop there! The record comes with a signed Zoetrope turntable slipmat, a gatefold jacket, and a printed inner sleeve to listeners to not only decipher the sometimes hard-to-tell lyrics, but differentiate who is doing what in the songs. For instance, did you know Follin plays the vibraphone? Other fun instruments sprinkled throughout are violin and cello (compliments of Jesse Kotansky), trombone (via Ricky Lucchese), and even a string machine (operated by drummer and percussionist Loren Shane Humphrey). Of course, recognition must be given to the bass master himself, Maxwell Kamins, featured on every track. For more information on the band or to get your own copy of To The Ghosts, make sure to visit the links below.
CULTS – “Crybaby”
Track listing:
- Crybaby
- Left My Keys
- Onions
- Crystal
- Leave Home
- Eat it Cold
- Honey
- Knots
- Behave
- Open Water
- Cells
- You’re In Love With Yourself
- Hung The Moon
Stream ‘To the Ghosts’ album:
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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