Modern Baseball – ‘Holy Ghost’

By Ben Tipple

It’ll come as no surprise that song writing can be a cathartic experience. As with any art form, it provides a means to process and express even the most difficult of feelings. More often than not, it is designed around relatability. Modern Baseball’s popularity has grown exponentially in their comparably short amount of time based almost entirely on their prowess in this area. Right from their debut ‘Sports’, fans found something to believe in and to identify with. As their recent candid online documentary joked, in the early days that was almost exclusively about girls, or more specifically, relationships. ‘Holy Ghost’ takes Modern Baseball ten steps further forward.

Written in two parts, the first six songs by the band’s Jacob Ewald and the latter five by co-vocalist Brendan Lukens, each seeks a respective therapy. This isolation is reflected in the sound. Penned separately, ‘Holy Ghost’ presents itself as two separate entities yet ones that merge brilliantly together. It’s a union based on emotion, if not sound. At the end of ‘Hiding’, the final song on Ewald’s half, the distinct fade out marks a noticeable pause. It’s a deliberate separation, actively dissociating the two themes. Ewald writes of personal grief, Lukens of his bi-polar disorder and brush with suicide. Both in structure and theme, ‘Holy Ghost’ is careful never to conflate the two while still acknowledging their similarities.

It presents a soundtrack to inner turmoil. Far from subtle, both Ewald and Lukens refrain from using metaphor. Focussing on their aim to provide support to those suffering similar issues, the eleven tracks are as unreserved. There’s no interpretation necessary. “I drove back home when you got sicker,” Ewald writes on ‘Everyday’. “I wish I felt the same way I did then,” Lukens offers on the atypical ‘Apple Cider I Don’t Mind’. The record concludes with a triumphant call to arms. “I’m not just another name,” is the mantra of the closing track. It’s a moment of light on an otherwise dark album, and one that bleeds into both sections of the record.

All this is underpinned by the band’s heavier tones. Although ‘Holy Ghost’ touches occasionally on a more jovial sound, it’s fundamentally reflective of its thematic content. Their pre-release track ‘Apple Cider…’ is the furthest removed from their ‘Sports’ and ‘You’re Going To Miss It All’ days, adopting their unconcealed The Killers influence that is mirrored in ‘Just Another Face’. Ewald sticks more closely to the recognisable Modern Baseball sound than Lukens, but the musical disconnect is welcome.

Both pull their influence and situation together into an assured emotional redemption. ‘Holy Ghost’ provides acceptance. It allows them to breathe, simultaneously showcasing the relatable and cathartic experience Modern Baseball have so longed to deliver. More accomplished and considered than anything the band have released before, it’s a beautifully challenging homage to a stepping stone that all will eventually cross.

BEN TIPPLE

Three more album reviews for you

While She Sleeps - 'SELF HELL'

USA Nails – ‘FEEL WORSE’

Greywind - Antidote EP