Los Angeles seems to be the 21st century prodigal home of cool bands. There must be something in the water for one city to produce such a vast quantity of musical fashionistas. If you like your music to have an extra pinch of style and an air of grandeur then the city will feel like home to you. United Ghosts join a long line of bright young LA somethings, bringing their unique brand of swagger and shoegaze electronica.
2013’s self titled debut album put positive focus on the band, cultivating praise from 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and XFM’s John Kennedy, to name a few. Come 2014 and United Ghosts have shed personnel with Sha Sabi and Axel Ray Steuerwald the only two members remaining. With their stripped back band, United Ghosts are set to release Dear Electric Sun, a five-track E.P absolutely crammed to the rim with style.
You wouldn’t think United Ghosts had been a shoegaze band with opening track “Out Of Love,” a song centered about a pulsating synth and a Krautrock-esque drum machine loop. Sabi and Steuerwald share vocals, which are at times frantic and others effortlessly drawn out. You’d be forgiven for thinking United Ghosts had always been an electronica band. It’s ironic to say, but far too many bands are guilty of trying too hard to look like they’re not trying at all. Acting like you don’t give a shit is simply not the way forward and it’s actually bands with a dormant sense of swagger such as United Ghosts that achieve the most successful results.
“Mind Flies Blind” absolutely screams early 2000’s British indie, but with an added synth bass something more familiar to the overall sound of United Ghosts. It’s also a song which sounds closer to the shoegaze roots of the band. The boy/girl vocals bring out the track’s overall charm and you find yourself drawn in and while there isn’t an overall hook, every delivery is no less infectious. “All My Sisters” is psychedelia-by-numbers, but it’s done competently and the shared vocals again add that extra special layer. Overall it’s a cheerful track and the sprinkling of synths gives it a very feelgood vibe.
“Shine And Let Shine” is slower and more stripped back than its predecessors and lets you catch a breather. Previously on Dear Electric Sun the instruments were used to fill the track whereas here you can hear them all separately, each one having it’s own little moment. Closing song “No Tomorrow'”admittedly sounds a little out of place, not because it’s unpleasant but because it completes a remarkable shift in dynamics to the rest of the E.P. It’s ultimately a ballad, with it’s gently strummed acoustic guitar, tinkling piano and the most part Sabi’s sultry vocals until Steuerwald chimes in to harmonize.
I’ve allowed myself to get excited about bands like United Ghosts. In recent months I’ve been completely entranced by the generous amount of synth bands produced by L.A. and more often than not I’ll find something I like when checking out the city’s music scene. United Ghosts are no exception and with Dear Electric Sun.
Rating: 4.5/5