I WAS HOPING YOU'D PASS BY HERE LP

Second 6Music play from Tom Ravenscroft, this time opening the show: BBC 6 Music - Recommends - Tom Ravenscroft - 3 January http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09kg5kj And, 8/10 Clash Music review now in: http://clashmusic.com/reviews/ghost-music-i-was-hoping-youd-pass-by-here Mojo review (Dec 2017 issue): 'Ragged, '80s Brit classicism with soft echoes of wraith-like Americans Galaxie 500 or Yo La Tengo' Clash Music premiere for 'Blindspot': http://clashmusic.com/news/ghost-musics-blindspot-feels-like-a-slowmotion- film God Is In The TV premiere for 'Strange Love': http://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2017/12/11/exclusive-ghostmusic- strange-love-premiere/ Loud and Quiet review: 'A neat exercise in sleepy Yo La Tengoism...evokes the lethargic misanthropy of Silver Jews' 6Music (Tom Ravenscroft)  track 2: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09hx9rn BBC Soundscapes support confirmed Southend quartet Ghost Music release their evocative debut album I Was Hoping You™d Pass By Here via Arlen on 19 January. They create careful, considered songs, weaving lo-fi lullabies with gliding guitars and understated arrangements. Influenced by Silver Jews, Flying Nun and K Records, they explore themes of nature, love, loss and a melancholic English romanticism embellished with beautifully spectral melodies and executed with startling subtlety. Despite this record being their debut, the band has produced a veritable wealth of music over the past 20 years in various guises. Ghost Music revolves around the songwriting partnership of Matt Randall and Lee Hall, who had played together in the 90s with John Peel favourites Beatglider. More recently Randall has received critical acclaim as Plantman, with his three albums Closer to the Snow, Whispering Trees and To The Lighthouse receiving praise from The Guardian, Uncut and Mojo. When Randall and Hall reunited to collaborate on another album together, they brought in the talents of Roy Thirlwall on bass (Melodie Group) and Leighton Jennings on drums (Dark Globes) to complete the band. The original idea would be that the songs would be šghosts› and create šghost music› to resurrect and dust off old songs that they had already started. Lee had found the beginnings of šHome Dog› on a dusty old 4- track and he had recorded šStrange Love› on his iPhone in 2014, whilst Matt had written šMy Cloud› as far back as 1997 (the night he moved out of his parents™ house). As the album began to take shape, the ghostly premise took a back seat, as they began to breathe new life into the songs they found the impetus to write new ones. Randall explains the songwriting process; šWhen we were in Beatglider together and in the past we™d made a ˜thing™ out of writing long songs with a lot of changes. This time we pared it back a bit and stuck to the melodies more. We really wanted to make a proper guitar record. Lee™s my favourite guitarist and it was lovely to see him stretch out on these songs with his diamond fingers.› Not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves, Ghost Music™s sound is instantly familiar, echoing beloved bands from the 90s such as Pavement (šHome Dog› has a definite šRange Life› feel), Galaxie 500 (šBlindspot›), Yo La Tengo (šHeart Shaped Holiday› is influenced by the languid YLT songs that peak after a short intro) and even old-school rock™n™roll (šStrange Love› was born out of an appreciation for the instantly engaging opening riff in 50s songs). Yet Ghost Music™s work never feels derivative, being instead effortlessly emotive, melancholic and affecting, creating a world of sound that is hugely reassuring and a tonic for the modern age. Press/radio via But I Like You  www.butilikeyou.co.uk Tracklisting: 1. Home Dog/2. Heart Shaped Holiday/3. Strange Love/4. We Could Get Along/5. This Kingdom One/6. Blindspot/7. Let's Meet/8. Queen of England/9. Gurl In A Whorl/10. Blackbird Stars/11. Close Your Eyes/12. My Cloud/13. I'm No