ALBUM REVIEW: Mourners Disco – Ghost Love
Emerging from Montreal comes the dark-synth band GHOST LOVE, armed with their debut album Mourners Disco. The trio themselves are heavily influenced by artists such as DEPECHE MODE and THE XX, and that results in a stunning combination between 80s pop synths and modern-day dark pop leaving listeners in awe. The recording of the album was also a form of therapy for frontman David Rancourt, whose mother sadly passed away in 2019, and following the isolation of lockdown in 2020, he used the album as both a way of processing emotions and to honour her memory.
The band’s main goal here is for the album to be “celebrated communally”, so did they achieve this? Absolutely. From start to finish you find yourself constantly engaged and entranced by the record. The opening title track starts out gentle but gradually builds up to having a more pop-focused production following the first chorus. The lyrics themselves seem to reference a story of love gone wrong, resulting in vibes that feel serious but enchant you regardless with its lo-fi style. Following this with Eyes Asking Why creates a stark contrast between the genres that the group love to experiment with. The song fits more within the dark pop world with beats that gradually speed up and become more intense; it’s something that would perfectly suit an underground rave where you can picture the crowd moving with each pulsating rhythm.
GHOST LOVE can perfectly demonstrate how to shift between moods with ease. On the one hand you have tracks that leave you feeling carefree and tranquil, like Iconic whose pop production makes you want to dance slowly around the room with lyrics that will uplift you; or Temple In The Sky which has a gentle approach; or Cycle Down that’s just a fun electronic pop song. But on the other side of the spectrum, we have the tracks that feel more atmospheric like Hold The Red Sky that might be the marmite of the album where people will either love it or hate it given how intense it gets as the song progresses – to the point where it genuinely feels like the start of a panic attack. That’s not to say that these dark pop styled tracks will leave you feeling this way; for example Le Mepris is an enjoyable dance track that focuses heavily on bass beats, and Dark Times has a fantastic drum and bass production.
In short, Mourners Disco has a little bit of something for everyone whether they enjoy the lighter or darker sides of life. Whether you want to play something as you’re doing work in the house (trust us, it’s good at helping you focus) or as a soundtrack for a house party, this is the album for you.
Rating: 8/10
Mourners Disco is set for release on April 21st via self-release.
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