It’s funny how the internet can bring people together. Some people meet through mutual interests, mutual friends, or thereby a necessary connection to the physical world over the digital. Other times people meet because they both have a laugh about some other asshole on the internet – names withheld. That’s sorta the story between Ghostmouth and I who mutually met through an e-mail exchange. While not exactly my normal route for electronic music I couldn’t help but be fascinated by the somewhat lofi presentation of Ghostmouth’s music, filled with shoegaze and electronica and even what I felt was a bit of vaporwave influence. But you know what this all has in common? It’s underground electronic music. Regardless, I heard the man was releasing a brand-new album so an invite was sent to participate in our ongoing INTRODUCING series. Here we are. Let’s get to know this project a little.
Give us a brief about your band. Who are you and what do you do?
Ghostmouth is the musical project of Sean Levine and a mostly regular cast of his closest collaborators. A typical Ghostmouth album combines several related sounds into one ethereal soup. These sounds are usually developed with a combination of synthesizers, effected guitars, and a range of different styles of percussion. The band has incorporated psychedelic music, electronic, shoegaze, dream pop, folk, jazz fusion, and even little bits of country into many of their songs.
When did you first launch the project and how has it come along since?
Ghostmouth first started around 2008. We used to perform on the streets with battery powered equipment and generators to get attention when we were too young to play at most clubs. That quickly got us noticed, and we started playing at venues and music festivals across the country. We have released five albums, and grown increasingly experimental yet focused with each release.
What bands and artists influenced you the most and why?
Jimi Hendrix- his way of picking up a guitar, starting to noodle, and accidentally inventing five genres of music in a 6 minute jam is foundational to how I view the construction of music
Miles Davis- particularly his work from Sketches of Spain up to Get Up With it informs how I view the symbiosis of electronic and acoustic. Much like I think Jimi Hendrix is uncredited with the invention of shoegaze and jazz fusion, I think Miles’ stranger organ jams from “Rated X” on Get Up With It is the unrecognized birth of Drum n’ Bass.
Tangerine Dream- I’ve always connected deeply with the modular “synth jam” techniques and the way that Tangerine Dream’s career reflects the development of music technology in the synthesis world. The entire way I approach instruments and sequencers comes from how closely I studied this group.
Cocteau Twins- Their sound and the way they blended so many different influences and instrumental techniques together was so ahead of its time. For a band that didn’t have a drummer, it’s weird how much they’ve influenced my approach to percussion arrangements.
If you could pick a single song from your discography to explain your music, which song would you pick and why?
We change things up a little bit on every album so that’s a bit difficult, but I’d say Sugarcane is a solid summary of the sound of this record.
What is your most recent release and what is it about?
Our newest album is our fifth, and it’s called Pretender. It’s a personal story about three tragic deaths intertwined into one narrative. It contends with how a community chooses who to idolize as a hero.
Take us through your creative process. How do you compose a song from start to finish? Where do the ideas come from?
This changes depending on the song, but a lot of songs on this record started with a sequence I’d make on either a hardware sequencer or a modular synth. I’d try to create a unique groove, and then I’d apply it to different chord progressions. Despite the complexity of some of these arrangements, I wanted to try my best to take a “Ramones” style approach to the chords and melodic structure of the songs, keeping them simple, straightforward, and full of a certain kind of attitude.
What’s your current favorite song, band, or album within your scene? And vice versa, what do you enjoy the most that’s completely opposite of what you make?
I’ve been going back and listening to a lot of my local favorites like Leisure Birds and Real Numbers, but some of the newer shoegaze acts in town like Lana Leone and She’s Green have been heavily in my rotation lately. Its an exciting time to make swirly music in Minneapolis.
I’ve been really closely following the underground Drill scene in Minneapolis. That’s where the DIY ethos is at its purest in the scene right now. The current sound has a cool Horror-core vibe that’s definitely heavily influenced by artists like Chuckyy and YFG Fatso. There’s some young artists here who make amazing music, and tons of people listen to it, but for some reason the music press here doesn’t cover it.
What is on the horizon for your project? Upcoming gigs, tours, merch, videos, etc. Name it, link it, show it off.
We’re gonna get right to work on some new music. Gotta keep the people fed. We’ll have some more videos of songs from this record out soon, probably a few live sessions.
