Ghost Care On New Single “Only Friend”
Perth-based indie-pop trio Ghost Care share their new single Only Friend. The new single is the follow-up to their riff fuelled return Kevin Garnett back in March, which saw Ghost Care level up in both sound and praise with a video premiere and extensive radio play by triple j Unearthed, as well as further coverage by Double J, RTRFM, 4ZZZ and more.
Only Friend sits on the poppier side of Ghost Care’s sound, as the vocals of lead vocalist/ guitarist Beau Torrance dance amongst a slurring blend of guitar, bass and percussion. The end result welcomes touches of a more psychedelic-like sound when placed comparatively against the thrilling rifts of Kevin Garnett, but Ghost Care’s charm and fun remain in the centre spotlight, as does the potent song writing that often nestles in their catchy choruses. The band tells Hi Fi Way a little more about their new single.
How has the reaction been to the new single Only Friend?
We’re so stoked with the love Only Friend has received. It was a little anomaly of a song which has always been fun to play, so we’re really glad that other people seem to like it too! It was a baby step in a new direction for us which has in hindsight really influenced our latest songs we’ve been working on. Stay tuned!
What is the background behind the single?
Only Friend was a slow burn for us. Initially, we recorded a voice memo of the idea at a rehearsal and then it was on the back burner for a long time. It wasn’t until we had some extra time in the studio that we decided to flesh out the song with Dave Parkin. The concept is loosely based on us (Beau and Luke) being dependent on each other to be social at parties, but from there it developed more into the theme of vulnerability and dependence. We eventually finished the song all together in a hotel room in Margaret River after a show and now it’s become our favourite!
Were you hands on for the video clip?
The video clip was a bunch of footage that Daniel Hildebrand (legend/ great friend) took with a super 8 over the Spacey Jane tour. This was around the time the song really started to come together and when we started playing it to bigger crowds. So it’s accidentally a full circle video clip that makes a lot of sense in the context of the song. It’s a really heart-warming video for us to watch and takes us right back to the beginning of the song itself.
How did you all meet?
Beau and I (Luke) met at a gig a few years ago when we were in separate bands on the same bill. We were just good mates for a long time until eventually I was looking for a band to join and Beau was looking for a drummer. We played as a duo for a little while until we met Tanaya at a gig. We both fell in love with her and decided to ask if she wanted to have a jam. Tanaya hadn’t ever played bass before she joined, so we did the sneaky and asked if she’d learn purely for the band…and the rest is history!
Sonically, how would you describe your music?
We started with a groovy sound, which then became more indie rock-ish, which then merged into an alt-indie sound and our most recent songs have more of a festival rock sound, so who knows really?
Are there plans for more new music? Maybe an album?
We have an EP coming out in October called ‘I’m so sick of being so happy’. We’re also in the studio at the moment gearing up for a future release!
Who would you say is your biggest musical influence/ inspiration?
We have a bunch of different musical influences individually which can be a real advantage, especially when we’re writing and recording. As a group we’re all avid listeners of the Beatles (cliché I know, but they come up in most musical conversation we have). We’re quite drawn to Talking Heads and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, but these things change all the time. We also love a bit of Doja Cat and Coldplay.
Did you lose much momentum last year due to the COVID shit storm?
Lately we’ve been saying how we’ve been the luckiest band during the unluckiest time! Last year was a great year for us. We played so many shows and made so many friends which may not have happened if it wasn’t for this horrible pandemic. All our single launches have happened to be uninterrupted either side of lockdowns and we were lucky enough to play Wave Rock Festival which we heard was the only festival happening in the world at that time (??). In short, we’re incredibly grateful for the support and luck we’ve received over the past year.
Are you looking forward to being able to tour more broadly around the country this year?
We were really hoping for it and still are but it’s just so hard to navigate at the moment with everything going on! It would be heart breaking to save up the money and finally make it over east only to find out we have to go into isolation. So, we’re just playing it safe having fun over here in WA and building up a home state audience.
What’s next for Ghost Care?
We’ve got a show at Mojos at the end of the month and then we’ll be gearing up for the EP launch. Should be a good way to end the year!
Interview Rob Lyon
Connect with Ghost Care
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