Spectral experimental rock ensemble ghostplay, a band that emerged from the Sacramento, California, music scene, resurfaces once more with “Zelpha,” an album that nearly slipped into the abyss of oblivion. Led by Jason H., whose vocals, bass, keys, and synths weave the band’s sonic tapestry, and Leticia H., whose vocals and guitar add rich textures, Ghostplay has weathered a tempestuous journey since their 2015 debut EP, “33.”
Jason’s battles with cancer, the sorrow of losing loved ones, joyous weddings, and the isolation of friends during the pandemic have indelibly marked their sound with visceral authenticity. Completing the lineup are drummer Armando G., who laid the rhythmic foundation for the album and will accompany the band on tour, and former drummer Kim Kuvaja.
“Zelpha” unfurls across ten tracks, each imbued with an ineffable sound that defies the confines of experimental rock, dream pop, shoegaze, and ambient rock. This album inhabits that liminal space between dream and wakefulness, recalling the golden era of alternative rock from 1988 to 1991, where genres blurred and authenticity reigned supreme. Each song weaves a profound narrative of fear, loss, dreams, and resilience. This opus, painstakingly forged over the years with Patrick Hills at Earthtone Studios, polished by Monte Vallier at Ruminator Audio, and perfected by Josh Bonati at Bonati Mastering, promises to envelop listeners in a whirlwind of emotions. With its raw honesty and searing intensity, “Zelpha” is poised to become a jewel in ghostplay’s discography, sparkling with the trials and triumphs that gave it life.
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Ghostplay spoke with Post-Punk.com about the trials and tribulations of bringing this album to life, their inspirations, and their goals for the band.
“Zelpha” has been described as a deeply emotional and transformative journey for the band. Can you share some of the most significant moments during the creation of this album?
I would say some of the most significant moments were when we reached out to Monte Vallier of Ruminator Audio in 2022. He produced the album, and that’s when the mixing process started. Another pivotal moment was when we officially announced that our album was done on April 14, 2024. It had been nearly nine years since we released new music, so this was a very special moment to share with people.
We initially had some false starts when trying to get to the mixing stage. There was a time when we thought we were ready to move forward, but then life happened. At different points in time, we moved out of Sacramento, including our drummers (Kim Kuvaja and Armando Gonzales), so that meant relearning the songs and working to write more material. It was a long, slow process to get to a point where we had enough material that was ready to be tracked and eventually mixed. We spent several years just writing the songs before we even tracked all the instruments. Tracking the instruments for some of the songs started way back in 2017 and didn’t finish until 2022.
In our very first recording sessions in 2017 (all songs were tracked with Patrick Hill of Earthtone Studios in Sacramento), we tracked about five songs, but there were some that we decided not to move forward with and needed to refine more. By that time, we had moved and had to put music on hold. The next time we tracked new songs was not until 2019. By then, we had more material, reworked some of the songs, and finally had enough material to start mixing, but we also had three more songs to track. But then the pandemic hit, everything came to a standstill, and we were not able to get the final three songs tracked until 2022. It was such a dramatic time for everyone.
In 2022, things started to open back up. We played a few shows and finally knew we were ready to start the mixing journey. I remember sending the email off to Monte and celebrating the milestone with a big sushi dinner! It felt great. We were so excited. We knew it was a now-or-never moment. All these years, we stayed hopeful and somehow managed to continue pushing forward. Of course, we needed to take this turning point in stride, as the next year or so involved a long process of passing detailed notes over email with Monte shaping the mix and reviewing his revisions, as well as a couple of revisions during the mastering process. Eventually, all that work brought us to the next milestone, when we finally officially announced the completion of our album on April 14, 2024.
Were there any particular influences or inspirations that guided you during this time? What records, books, or other creative works inspired this album? Or perhaps people and places?
We are influenced by so many different things, but I think primarily the two main sources of inspiration come from the music we listen to and the people in our lives.
In regards to music, we are heavily influenced by bands like Snowden, DIIV, Beach House, Exploded View, Black Marble, The Knife, Deerhunter, and even LoFi artists such as Tomppabeats, mt. fugitive, Home, and Trevor Something. They all belong to different music genres, and we take the things we like from each of them and incorporate them into our music.
As far as how people influence us, it would have to be our relationships with family and friends and the experiences we have had with people we interact with throughout our lives. They have all had a significant impact on this album, from the way we write the music to the lyrics. For instance, all of our drummers, Armando, Kim, and our good friend Michael Couloures (who recorded drums on our EP ‘33’), have incorporated their own styles into our music over the years and really helped to bring the songs to life. They are all such talented drummers, and we have been so lucky to work with them over the years. And then, of course, our family has always had an influence on us, which can be especially heard in the lyrics of songs like ‘Z’ and ‘Kindness,’ both of which were written after Jason’s mom passed away in 2021. The lyrics to songs like ‘Drift’ and ‘Less is More’ include elements of life experiences with people throughout our lives.
We pull from whatever is around us at the time, and it makes its way into our music. We often hear that our style, while rock-oriented, doesn’t necessarily fit into one genre. Perhaps incorporating everything we are impacted by makes our style eclectic. We’ve never aspired to make a certain style of music; we really just naturally pull from the things in our lives at the time we are writing.
‘Zelpha’ touches on themes of fear, disappointment, loss, dreams, addiction, kindness, and hope. Can you discuss how you chose these themes and what each one represents to you as a band?
All of these themes were just what was happening in our lives during the time we were writing the album.
Fear and disappointment always have a part of everyone’s lives, but took a stronger hold during the pandemic years. ‘Opaque’ and ‘Bang Bang’ are examples of this; both songs have lyrics written in the midst of the pandemic. At the time, we were all experiencing so much uncertainty about the future, as we still do with the current state of the world. We went through a lot of disappointments with music coming to a stop, difficult emotions from witnessing so many regular mass shootings in America, and not being able to play music as an outlet.
Loss, dreams, and kindness were themes that came from the loss of loved ones during the years we were writing and recording. Both Jason and Mondo lost their mothers during the creation of this album. The passing of loved ones is often life-changing and deeply impactful. The song ‘Z’ is about Jason’s mom’s battle with degenerative memory loss and the emotions he was presented with during that time. ‘Kindness’ incorporates lyrics heard in a dream that Jason had about his mom visiting him after she had passed, and giving him a powerful message of hope. For both Jason and Mondo, that time in their lives was significantly impactful, and we are grateful that we had our music to turn to during those experiences.
‘Sandcastle’ is also a song that has elements of hope. We all just want a safe place to live, but it’s hard to find. A sandcastle is a metaphor for life itself and the fleeting nature of the shelter of our existence. Life will come and go, and everything we experience will eventually be washed away. Rather than seeing this as sad or scary, the song focuses on finding contentment with embracing impermanence, hence the lyric “remarkable to be a part of all.”
Addiction is a theme incorporated into the song ‘Drift’ which has lyrics that reflect what someone with an unhealthy fixation might say. For instance, the lyric “I’m trying to just pull through, or so I’ve told myself” is something someone might say when they just don’t want anyone else to see them at their worst or when they’re physically or mentally obsessed with something that they know is not right for them.
Is there a particular song on the album that holds special meaning for you? If so, why?
Each song has its own special meaning for each of us. It’s hard to pick just one!
But if I have to pick, one song that stands out would be ‘Opaque.’ This song, as I (Leticia) mentioned, was about dealing with depression during the midst of the pandemic. I was trying to find a way to continue to make music without being able to work in person with others, which is why this is the only song without live drums. It was made in GarageBand, and a portion of the vocals were recorded at home. The opening lyrics, “I am the shadow of your opaque mind. Isolated and empty, we are so alike,” are essentially a conversation between myself and my depression. If you listen closely, you can hear the low-pitched “monster” voice mixed in, representing the depression and myself having a dialogue. But it is also a hopeful song; the lyrics “we realize, we are alive” signify seeing a light at the end of a difficult period, and eventually, we did get to a better place, at least with music.
‘Opaque’ also had a moving moment during the mixing process when Monte added very subtle strings to the mix and sent it over for us to listen to. At the time, I (Leticia) was sitting at my desk at work and actually started crying when I first heard it. It was one of those really cool creative contributions that Monte made, bringing out the emotions of that period and the struggle to overcome depression. It was such a great moment that we will always be grateful for.
In facing illness and loss of loved ones, do you find that you come out the other side of grief with a greater sense of love and appreciation for life?
It has definitely changed us, not so much for the worse, but in the sense that we now have a much stronger appreciation of how fragile we all are and how little time we have to exist. It has also been a driving force to complete this album because we don’t know when the next life-changing event will happen. Jason, for example, has battled and beat cancer twice, once in 2014 before completing the first ghostplay EP ‘33”, and once again in 2023 after completing the recording process for “Zelpha’. While facing illness and the loss of loved ones, we can look back and be proud that we persevered and didn’t give up. This album is also a tribute to those who helped and guided us along the way.
What role do you think music plays in dealing with profound life experiences like the ones you’ve gone through, and how do you hope your music will impact your listeners?
Music impacts all of us in different ways, but for the most part, it may be the only thing that we can easily relate to or find solace in when navigating through difficult times, whether it’s dealing with an illness, the passing of a loved one, or other life challenges. For anyone who listens to our album, we hope that they find a sense of connection and comfort. We hope our music provides a space for listeners to process their emotions, find strength, and realize they are not alone in their experiences.
Can you share any plans for future projects or collaborations following the release of ‘Zelpha’? How do you see Ghostplay evolving in the future, both musically and personally?
Right now, we are working on several new songs, and our goal is to put out a new EP as quickly as we can, taking advantage of the momentum we will have after the release of ‘Zelpha.’ Personally, I think we have grown to be more optimistic and realize we can write and release more music. In the future, I think we will use that optimism and work to incorporate it into our songwriting, hopefully learning to not be so critical of ourselves and embracing our own uniqueness and the idea of not fitting into a specific mold. We have a strong motivation to create right now, so our new personal goal is to continue to release more music!
ghostplay’s Zelpha is out now. Listen below and order here.
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