A. Sinclair – Sunshine Ghost

Sunshine Ghost might seem like an oxymoron. Ghosts are traditionally nocturnal manifestations after all, or at the very least they keep to dark and abandoned places. But A. Sinclair’s latest album seems to perfectly capture the dichotomy of loss and pain with bright, summery instrumentation. Sinclair’s vocals carry a bit of grit, somewhat in the same vein as Mansions. His lyrics are full of pain, angst, and anxiety. The music, however, is largely hazy and feel-good. It’s the kind of effect “Pumped Up Kicks” had, though arguably more refined and earnest here.

Nothing about this mixture feels weird, though. Emotions, after all, are rarely so straightforward. Losing a friend is painful because of the time you spent together. Surely Sinclair is not the first artist to approach music this way (and won’t be the last), but something about these compositions seems so captivating.

It’s hard to place the genre of this album. The closest thing I could suggest is Holden Laurence. But Sinclair’s songs are a bit faster and, oddly, beefier. The low end on Sunshine Ghost is especially prominent, giving things a bit of a post-punk feel at times. But there are certainly influences from alt-rock (seen in the vocal processing, for one), and generally there’s a decent overlap with indie as well. So, it’s semi-nostalgic rock that is equally fast and moody.

In some ways, this album necessarily reminds me of other albums I’ve covered recently – the album cover and general vibe aren’t too far from The Reds, Pinks and Purples. That’s not a bad thing, though. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

And even despite some of the moodier moments, there’s a bit of quirk here as well. The lyrics tend to have a degree of specificity to them, which reminds me of WHY? as a comparison. These are slice-of-life songs. Sinclair doesn’t go off-brand, but his narratives are multi-faceted.

All in all, Sunshine Ghost is a unique pastiche of summery indie pop and brooding alternative. It’s fast, catchy, and bright on the surface. But there’s a bit of a bite here lyrically and vocally. Sinclair manages to take the sort of sound championed by bands like Mansions and adorn it in a pastel wardrobe to great effect.

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