Conceptually united expressions of love, connected by stylistic threads of reverb and playful design – an aptly-titled artistic corner… Still Haunted presents stories of wonder, nostalgia, and inspiration, with Aren’t All Songs About Love?
Featuring six original recordings, with two cover songs as bookends for the thoughtful wonder of the collection, Aren’t All Songs About Love? reflects upon the highs and lows of love stories that never truly begin or end.
The music notes hints of influence from indie rock, pop rock and power-pop, but as you make your way through the songs, the layout and performances prove increasingly unmistakable as the work of Still Haunted.
Ed Sheeran’s Photograph marks a thoughtful and romantic introduction to the project – the arrangement new, the voices unique, and the concept shining a clear light on the ideas that line the album. Then we move into the writing and ambient guitar tones and thoughts of Still Haunted’s own style, with the distant short lines and profound reflections, melodies, and spoken segments of a distinctly dynamic Beautiful Together.
After the ambient and spoken sentiments of Beautiful Together, the upbeat bounce and beautiful optimism of If I Call You feels perfectly well-placed – a warming indie pop anthem, catchy with a twist of pop-punk and some lush vocal harmonies and echoes. This song raises the mood, and showcases diversity whilst holding closely to the threads of creative identity that ring loud across all things Still haunted.
The guitar solo resounds, modest but effective, the guitar-led groove hypnotic as it rolls along. However, despite the apparent positivity, the song’s intention is to provoke thoughts of uncertainty, confusion, anger. It’s the push and pull of conflicting emotions, and that sense of contrast is creatively powerful, and a key part of much of the Still Haunted repertoire.
In Between later feels like an eighties pop-rock or dream rock presentation – a happy groove, with complex ideas and psychedelic synths lighting up the outer edges, as this voice feels both accessible and other-worldly in its contemplations. The guitar tone is grittier now, the music gifted as much space as the lyrics to connect with the audience, and the sound again proves both eclectic and well-grounded within the album.
Images and questions continue to provoke thought, weaving this web of implication all the more tightly, and balancing that depth with a certain musical lightness that is simple piano, strings and vocals united amidst a rather joyful wave of calm.
Then to finish, the iconic Heroes – a Bowie classic, granted a whole new degree of character, in this stripped-back to full-band crescendo of celebration and uplift. It’s a fine ode to the timeless hit, and its passion and energy are euphoric, and help wrap up this collection in a bold and beautiful way.
“Making music is a dance with the invisible. We make something we can’t see or hold in our hands, yet palpably surges through mind and body. It is one of the very few magical endeavors we humans still believe in and un-ceremonially engage with.”
Find Still Haunted on Instagram, YouTube, & their Website.
