Ashbury Heights
Ghost House Sessions Vol. 1
Out of Line
Swedish electropop trio Ashbury Heights have traditionally been a band whose work comes in bursts; project founder Anders Hagström and his various collaborators will release a new (and frequently expansive) set of songs every few years, and then stay relatively quiet in the interim between records. Ghost House Sessions Vol. 1 bucks that trend somewhat, in that it’s been a record that has taken form in front of their devotees over the last four years, as the band released frequent singles, all leading up to the release of the LP proper in 2024. On the one hand, it’s coming a full six years since preceding LP The Victorian Wallflowers and could serve either as a redefining or reintroduction of the band. On the other, it’s a look back at the last several years of the band’s work, with enough material to both underline their familiar strengths and reach out in new directions.
That idiosyncratic approach is reflected in both the content and the form of the album. Assembled from a mixture of original compositions, collaborations and a smattering of covers and retakes, the fluidity of the release is such that the vinyl, Bandcamp and CD versions all feature different sequencing. It’s right there in the name – this is a record that feels like it was assembled from various distinct sessions over the course of a few years, less a complete statement unto itself than a sampling of what Hagström and Co have been up to for the past half-decade or so.
None of which is to say that this material is slapdash or subpar, indeed, their knack for damnably catchy hooks, sharp production and clever lyrics is on display throughout. “Spectres from the Black Moss” is vintage Ashbury Heights, with a sticky melody, Hagström matching his phrasing to the rhythm, his understated delivery sneaking in some acerbic jabs along the way. Fans of their club material will find more than a few cuts that scratch that itch, especially the collaborations with singer/songwriter Madil Hardis: “Wild Eyes” leverages her powerful voice for big anthemic thrills, and “A Cut in Place” where she offers a sweet counterpoint to one of Hagström’s most forthright performances. The band’s keen tracking of pop which has absolutely nothing to do with even the loosest understandings of goth-flavoured synthpop is maintained here as well: the modern EDM of “Escape Velocity” and the Eurovision worthy tapping of Ulrike of Blutengel for “A Lifetime In The Service Of Darkness” (who’s to say if the latter’s cribbing of “Rasputin” was intentional or not) are pure sugar rushes.
Still, Ashbury Heights have never stuck entirely to one template in their work, and there’s more than a few cuts here that go to unexpected places. A fan won’t be surprised when they hear “Is That Your Uniform” dip into the same double time playbook as a classic like “World Coming Down”, but that certainly won’t prepare them for the cod reggae of “In the Dark”, the lounge exotica of “Hard Week”, or the full-on oompah band arrangement of “Halcyon”. Strange as they may seem, these cuts just work, and for the same reason Ashbury Heights songs have always worked; because they’re catchy and clever. Hell, when the band go full-on ‘confidence building montage anthem’ on “You and Me Apart From the World” it seems like the most natural thing in the whole world because they have the hooks to back it up (not to mention the pro axework from live member Johan Andersson).
The product of starts and stops, lineup changes, the ad hoc pragmatics of recording during lockdown, and all of the other disruption that half a decade or so can bring, Ghost House Sessions is as weird and unkempt as Ashbury Heights, who’ve never been known to be minimalists, have ever been. But whether one wants to approach it as a traditional double LP or as an anthology release, it’s jammed to the gills with reminders of why so many listeners waited with bated breath for it, either sequentially tracking its individual tracks over the past few years or just jumping into its chaotic confectionary sight unseen. Recommended.
