It seems like the male falsetto birthed by James Blunt, made popular by Bon Iver, and finding permanency with the likes of James Vincent McMorrow is still having its moment. And today Liverpool-based artist RAINES (nee Mike Nelson) solidifies this POV with an ethereal apparition of a track, “Ghosts.”
“Ghosts” starts out soft and slow with a few piano chords matching pitch with the vocals. Just after one minute the vocals and keys are joined by a kick drum and swipe of strings, adding an element of perfectly placed drama. At 2:22 the song builds momentum, with the lyrics “Hard to believe it’s said and done / I too believe it’s not dead and gone / I want to believe all is well that ends well / but I just can’t convince myself,” and we’re happy we hung around for the home stretch.
RAINES says, “‘Ghosts’ is really important to me, it's about my dreams and my nightmares. It's about having someone to fight the world with. It's about love and loss, but also the idea that these feelings don't stop just because a relationship does."
RAINES has a unique, personal sound but a familiarity that is comforting. If you like The Feels and have a crush on Chris Martin, he just might be your favorite new artist in 2015.
Stream “Ghosts” below and keep tabs on RAINES via the socials below.
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