We have long been fans and supporters of mid-western Avant-Garde Hip-Hop crew Guerrilla Ghost. They have dropped non-stop singles, a new album, inventive covers, even funky packaging, and cool merch drops since the plague years happened. When shows returned, they continued their track record for explosive live performances too. The group is dropping their new album, Dying, on November 11th, 2022 via Triple Eye Industries. We have teamed up with them to share their new single – “Wayfairer’ here on the site!
Pre-order the album here:
https://guerrillaghost.bandcamp.com/album/dying
Bio:
Eclectic. Aggressive. Prolific. These are a few of the words that have been continuously used to describe Milwaukee’s Guerrilla Ghost. Having been active since 2017, the duo composed of producer Tron Jovi and vocalist Bad Graphics Ghost have amassed a catalog that rivals contemporaries with twice the tenure.
Ready to close out an already successful year, the group is keeping promises and releasing a second album in this calendar year. Their fourth full length, cryptically titled “Dying”, will be released November 11 on compact disc, Bandcamp and all streaming platforms via Triple Eye Industries.
The album witnesses a stylistic shift from a pair that already pulls references from an amalgamation of genres. Elements of jungle, lo-fi hip-hop and trap intertwine with new wave, goth pop and industrial influences. The vocals meander around raspy and clean cut deliveries, with the messages therein urgent, yet indifferent. Not for the faint of ears, longtime fans and new listeners alike will be pleasantly surprised by the extreme duality of the album.
Opening tracks “Eight of Cups” and “Machinist” greet the listener with answering machine tape snippets and massive bass drops under sheepishly pessimistic lyrics. “Hanged Man” swings between breakbeats and lush electro soundscapes, while the vocals segway from rapid fire to injured bellows. Circuit bent children’s toys furnish the backdrop against the desperate statements on “Wayfairer”. The closer, “Whore of Babylon”, leaves the listener with a not so subtle word of advice: “If you want the kind of life you never had, you’ve got to do something that you’ve never done.”
“I’m just trying to avoid writing the same record over and over again,” explains Tron Jovi. “For me, music production is about exploring new territory. It keeps the process engaging. This is the first Guerrilla Ghost record where I use cassette tape loops as part of my sound design palette.” Bad Graphics Ghost adds, “We’ve always followed an aesthetic while also trying to reinvent ourselves with each project, so this is the album we needed to make. It’s completely different, but makes sense with where we stand right now.”
This calculated stance is almost theirs alone, as this album has minimal guest appearances. Milwaukee podcaster and hip-hop emcee Mad Static revels in an enormous appearance on “Hierophant”. Denver hip-hop / rock artist Katana da Don provides a beautifully smooth delivery on “Pervavor”. Frequent collaborators Ashley Graham and Rio Lanza supply rich chorus melodies and catchy hooks on many of the album’s tracks, bringing a breath of stability to the chaos within.
“I feel like we’ve always prided ourselves in being abstract and obscure, following our DIY punk roots” says Bad Graphics Ghost. “It seems like we cater to a specific type of fan base, but this time around we created something we feel to be more accessible. There’s more singing, more messages with a common thread and more modern instrumentation, but we make it our own. We’ve taken notes on what’s trending, bastardized it and created our own niche in the current environment.”
“I think we stand apart because our sonic palette is so different” elaborates Tron Jovi. “We aren’t trying to sound like what’s already out there, we’re just expressing ourselves with noise making without specifically trying to sound like whatever’s popular. We still have so much to learn and implement.”
RIYL: Danny Brown, Ho99o9, Death Grips, Godflesh, Skepta, P.O.S., Dälek, Sleigh Bells and Run the Jewels
Guerrilla Ghost’s fourth studio album (and second album this year), Dying, is slated for release on November 11, 2022 via Triple Eye Industries.