Ghosts by Matthew White

Conceived during many late nights between Sherborne and Glastonbury at the end of February.
We're all haunted by the ghosts of our past (or something poetic like that) and it's whether we embrace it or challenge it.
Noticing patterns, whether it's within music or outside it....it's important to spot them and challenge them if they're not aiding your journey.
I added in a second looper and extra pedals to my set up in order to challenge and expand what I was doing which enabled some B-Sections to be created.
Recorded entirely in Somerset during early March.

Track Listing
1 - Meet Halfway
Initially, started about the same time as I was working on Left To The Tide but could never finish it.
Coming back to it and adding a B-Section meant it moved away from the initial plan for these songs but it felt right to continue as the mood and feeling was there.
Title inspired from driving to meet people....so often I would find myself being the one doing the travelling and it got tiring because no one was prepared to at least meet at a halfway point.

2 - A Day At A Time
Initially coming from an attempt to write a piece for a jazz trio, I kept the chords for myself and developed it a little further.
It wasn't supposed to be as dark sounding as it turned out but I felt it was in keeping with the rest of the EP.
Titled from a conversation I'd been having about recovery and taking each day at a time, celebrating the small wins and getting up each morning to start again.

3 - Hindsight
I really liked the tapped harmonics intro and how it developed from there, especially in the 8/8 bar where the last note really pings.
I had played with melodies for a while on this and couldn't settle on what I was trying to say. In frustration, I hit that first harmonic and was sold on the spot.
Elsewhere, things had started making sense and I was working through how to move beyond the melancholic state I'd sunk into.
The joy of hindsight is glorious......sometimes.

4 - Locked In
"Why isn't there any slap on your records?"
I wanted to try and create a sense of anxiety and also frustration.
I had been involved in a conversation where someone had made the commented about being locked inside their depression, wanting to get out and not being able to escape from underneath it.
This was my attempt to capture that and also satisfy the slap bass questions.
I particularly like the tension when the lead line comes in and the accent changes where the groupings clash.

5 - Eyes Closed
Again, this initially started out as a piece intended for a jazz quartet but I liked it and kept it.
Some of the original chord voicings are still there, especially in the B-section.
I liked the sparseness of it and the looseness of the lead line.
It's very easy to walk into something blind....whether it be blind with love or hope, or anger and hate.
We are good at blinding ourselves with emotion.

6 - Night Flight
This song came together in an effort to try and create a soundtrack to a flight sequence I'd been dreaming of.
Like a less fun and Christmassy version of The Snowman.

Proudly associated with Bartolini Pickups (www.bartolini.net) and Pitbull Strings (www.pitbullstrings.co.uk)

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