The reputation of young Raleigh quartet Ghostt Bllonde is that of a delightful mess. In their brief past, Ghostt Bllonde’s glistening pop-rock odes have submitted to the lo-fi production inherent to several early singles and a wonderfully ragtag debut album. And they’re best known for the post-adolescent enthusiasm of wild house shows in their former home, the Mattress Fort.
But on “Dissonance,” their side of a split single with Vermont’s bristling The Pilgrims, they give in to wide, bright production, like The Love Language’s Libraries on a bookshelf budget. Sparkling guitars serve as the wallpaper to a Phil Spector-like wall of sound, guided by a bassline that struts like a confident man in a crisp new suit. Harmonies arch toward the infinite, and a proper and wondrous coda suggests a budding group no longer content to thrash about in a playhouse of their own design. But frontman Marc Kuzio’s voice still carries a touch of welcome unease, as though he’s taking his time in opening his eyes to suddenly brighter lights.
Label: (NEGATIVE FUN RECORDS)
