Coming in at over twenty-four minutes despite its relatively minimal four track total, post-hardcore quartet GreaterGhost have continued where their debut EP left off on ‘Polarity’. Steadily wavering between understated melodies and powerful explosions of sound, the band’s second release ramps the epic nature of their compositions up a notch.
‘Polarity’ is loaded with soft, breathy vocals, echoing guitar work and complicated drum patterns. These ebb and flow throughout the record as the breathy becomes more direct for the abundant crescendos. Yet rather than introduce these at predictable times, ‘Polarity’ plays with the song structure, taking the listener off guard with forays into the calm right in the middle of the storm.
Relying on the unexpected, these moments help to break up the reasonably lengthy and potentially overbearing tracks. ‘Silhouette’ is filled with unconventional tones and sudden shifts into the minor key, while ‘Safe to Speak’ introduces the listener to the records singular conventional breakdown just as the atmosphere amounts to breaking point.
Rather than appearing unnecessary, these experimentations add an extra layer to the dense sound. There are moments on the EP’s ballad-of-sorts, ‘Ghost in this Place’, which are more reminiscent of minimalist-indie outfits such as The XX than obvious influences like Thrice.
‘Polarity’ is predominately based around power, consistently focussing on an intense atmosphere, and despite running the risk of remaining at too high a level, it provides the occasional release. With its sporadic moments of ingenuity it avoids living entirely in familiar territory, instead borrowing only some fundamentals from evident contemporaries. The success of the record lies in the unexpected – the snippets of calm and the deliberately reluctant peaks. With more of these, GreaterGhost are likely to forge a path entirely their own.
BEN TIPPLE