We previously featured RISE for their emotionally charged exploration of love, uncertainty and letting go on Hard To Leave You, so when we found out that RISE were back with Talking To Your Ghost Again, we couldn’t wait to listen and share our experience.
Talking To Your Ghost Again opens with a rising frequency and choral, ethereal vocals with dimensional and cosmic percussion motifs. We immediately vibe with the high emotional quotient and transcendental guitar performances. The cosmic ebbs and flows are sublime and the high emotional quotient of the track really resonates with us.
As always, there is an otherworldly quality that really comes to life with RISE‘s work. It’s cohesive, dynamic and intentionally sends us astral.
This time, though, there’s a deeply personal narrative behind the sound. The band lost their original singer, Steve Kinley, in 2022 following a short battle with cancer. We learn that Talking To Your Ghost Again was written by his twin brother Paul, and explores grief and proximity in the afterlife.
We find the idea of continuing to talk to someone you’ve lost incredibly moving. It’s such a human response.
The vocals from stayMellow are a real highlight, with the harmonies sitting high in the mix and giving the track an almost heavenly quality. Brian Petch‘s guitar work is equally striking, bringing prog rock textures and twin 12-string guitars into the arrangement.
As Paul Kinley puts it, “this is very much a song for those who knew Ste”. Recorded at Whitewood Studios in Liverpool and produced by Rob Whiteley and Paul Kinley, the single captures the band’s rich, recognisable sound whilst exploring more vulnerable territory.
For sync, we could imagine the track working beautifully in A Monster Calls, The Tree of Life, Ghost, The Lovely Bones or Arrival. On television, After Life, The Leftovers, This Is Us and The OA feel like natural fits.
We have added Talking To Your Ghost Again to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the exquisite, growing discography of RISE and anticipate future releases.