The Haunt siblings, Anastasia Grace (vocals) and Maxamillion (vocals, guitar), arrive at this new and eagerly awaited record on the back of a strong reception to the numerous EPs released over the last few years and “New Addiction”, which came out just a year ago. The Fort Lauderdale band, who cut their teeth on the local scene from a very young age and first reached a domestic audience through a support tour with Palaye Royale, land a solid bullseye with a dynamic, energetic and immediate record, tinged with that dark pop and melancholic sheen, with nods to nineties alt rock, that makes the whole thing both thoroughly enjoyable and genuinely impactful. Produced by Kevin Thrasher, guitarist of Escape the Fate who left the band to focus on his career as a producer, “Ghost” delivers energy in abundance and never once lets up. Whether it is the perfectly crafted momentum of the title track, with its massively impactful chorus, or the gleefully adolescent pop punk/rock of “Worst Taste in Men”, The Haunt prove they know exactly what they are doing, with an enviable command of arrangement and a remarkably direct, visceral approach to songwriting. There is plenty of meat on the bone throughout “Ghost”, from the lean and incisive “Favorite Way to Die”, with its tighter sound and sharp, aggressive atmosphere, to the potential mega-single “Alone in Your Planet”, where a round and perfectly calibrated structure serves as the launchpad for a chorus that is, quite simply, flawless. The fact that no fewer than six singles were already available well before the album’s release, accounting for almost exactly half of the final record (the first tracks in a tracklist that totals thirteen songs), speaks volumes about the potential reach this effort from the two siblings could have with audiences. Listeners will find themselves equally drawn to the raw, scratchy rock of “Seasonal Depression” and “Cocaine”, both carrying a strong Pretty Reckless energy, as to the paranoid unease of “Misery Loves Company (I Hate You)”, or the enigmatic and relentless “Hate Me”, which pairs perfectly with the bitter, dark ballad “Leaving, I’m Done” that closes the record. A solid record, immediate yet rich in nuance, one that could genuinely propel the Haunt siblings to a whole new level!
Ghost (2026 – Nettwerk Music Group)
