Source: EP Artwork
John O’Callaghan, the frontman of alt-pop-rock band The Maine, is one of the most underrated singer/songwriters in the alternative scene. Whether it’s his lyrics against the catchy, alt rock backdrops created by his bandmates, or his thought provoking, emo (and sometimes straight up confusing) tweets, John O undeniably has a way with words.
So we thought we’d honour those words by talking a little bit about his most recent stunning compilation of soulful and poignant lyrics. These come from his solo project John The Ghost, and his 6-track EP Sincerely, John The Ghost.
(If you were quick enough with the pre-orders you could have also gotten the accompanying 90-page book filled with the ghosts’ innermost thoughts.)
The EP gives the listener a glimpse into the mind of John O’Callaghan in a much more stripped back scene. The simple delivery of the moving, melancholy tracks makes their sentiment all the more sincere and hypnotic.
The delicate, unobtrusive melody of ‘Sour Grapes’ is only made more alluring when paired with John O’s emotionally drained, raspy vocals, which vibrate through every cell in the listener’s body.
The lyrics, “True, life is mostly tragic / but you don’t know how good you have it…” echo through the soft, harmonious sounds of ‘Nowandlater’. The track somewhat deals with perspective and how in hindsight, nothing is as bad as it seems.
The very accurately titled ‘Everyone is a DJ’ is a favourite on the EP. Though it has a slightly more upbeat melody, it still brings the emo. The song almost sounds like a slightly barer The Maine song with its bold, unfiltered lyrics, “I hope you break your neck / while you’re looking up / up at that pile of shit / you have created”.
The understated indie-rock delivery of John O’s stirring, narrative lyrics makes these melancholy tracks even more stunning and gripping to listen to. The beautifully haunting ‘Red House’ highlights the excruciating pain of life and growing up (“High school’s been dead now for ten years / isn’t that some shit? / And from here on out you’ll keep on losing things / so get used to it”), while the beautiful, mesmerising and kind of heart-breaking ‘All At Once’ focuses on John O’s grapple with his existence. The soothing, almost cathartic melody builds up to a captivating 2-minute instrumental piece at the end.
Sincerely, John the Ghost is a beautiful, heart-wrenching collection of words from someone, who like all of us, struggles with existence and many aspects of life. The only difference is that we can’t put these emotions into words. Luckily for us, we have the eloquent John O’Callaghan who can highlight this anguish in the most beautiful way possible.
Sincerely, John The Ghost is available on iTunes.
