Canadian Natives Return To Pop-Punk With ‘Phantoms’

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Aesthetic Magazine

You can now stream Marianas Trench’s new album “Phantoms” on Spotify and Apple Music.

Julia Conant, Social Media Editor

Canadian band Marianas Trench returned to the pop-punk scene with the release of their fifth studio album on March 1, 2019. The album is called “Phantoms,” and features ten tracks.

A signature feature of Marianas Trench’s music is that each of their albums is themed. Their 2015 album “Astoria” was based around the 1980s, featuring instruments frequently used during that time period. The concept for “Phantoms” is that it takes place inside a haunted house. Each of the songs is centered around ghosts and hauntings.

The album opens up with “Eleonora.” This track barely surpasses the one minute mark and is entirely acapella. The echoed harmonies start the album off with ghostly vibes Ramsay aimed for. Throughout the song, lead singer Josh Ramsay seems to be calling out to Eleonora’s ghost, asking if she can hear him and telling her to speak to him. He sings “Eleonora speak / It grows so quiet on widow’s peak / Don’t hush / Silence shares my madness.”

The next song on the album is “Only the Lonely Survive,” which was the second single to be released off the album. Because it is a single, this song is more likely to get stuck in your head than “Eleonora.” “Only the Lonely Survive” documents an unhealthy relationship, and the feeling of knowing it will end poorly, but still hanging on. Ramsay sings: “Burns us both to love this close / We lose ourselves and I know we won’t get out alive / But only the lonely survive.”

“Echoes of You” featuring Roger Joseph Manning Jr. captures the feeling of being haunted by a person from your past, a common theme throughout “Phantoms.” Ramsay sings “Stirs of whispers trail and linger / You still haunt the corner of my eye.” By this, he means that no matter how much you may think you have forgotten about a person, they can still come back to haunt you. What makes “Echoes of You” especially memorable is that it starts off intense, yet slows down and transforms into a more haunted sounding song towards the end.

The album’s fourth track “Don’t Miss Me?” is slower than the previous songs. This song contradicts “Echoes of You,” with Ramsay stating he doesn’t miss or think about the person from his past. However, it can be implied that this is a lie in the line: “I’m just a drink away from honesty so who knows what’s true / But I’m wondering, wondering, if maybe you, / you don’t miss me too.”

“Wish You Were Here” is the most upbeat and pop-esque song on the album. Just as the title suggests, it’s about wishing a special someone was with you, yet the upbeat sound of the song makes light of the otherwise sad and longing feeling. This song features a lot of mingled vocals echoing during the bridges and the choruses.

“Your Ghost” reminiscent of “Echoes of You,” trying hard to forget someone, but still being haunted by them. Ramsay sings “I can leave this place forever / But I know I’ll never sever from your ghost.” This track has a pop-vibe to it, slightly deluding the haunted vibe of constantly running from someone’s ghost.

“Glimmer,” is an instant fan favorite. It may be the song everyone holds their lighters up to during a concert. It serves as a kind of tortured love song and easily tugs on listeners heartstrings. Especially through the lyrics “I throw my head back, heart under attack / straight through the chest like a thunderclap.”

The eight song “I Knew You When,” left fans speculating that this is about Ramsay’s rocky relationship with his ex-fiancée, since the song discusses wanting another try at a past relationship. The song details how they have gone through too much and loved each other too hard to simply forget the love they used to have. Ramsay sings “I’ve been lovin’ lovin’ you too long to just / Sudden, suddenly move on from this.” The best part of “I Knew You When” is the heavy percussion, performed by none other than the band’s drummer, Ian Casselman.

“The Death of Me” introduces another aspect of being haunted by someone’s ghost. The song details how Ramsay wants to offer a new partner all of his love, but he is still hung up on someone from his past. The lyrics state: “I would love you if I could / But my unsteady heart’s not ready / And you would only get what’s left of me.”

Last but not least, we have “The Killing Kind.” Just like any of Marianas Trench’s album closers, there are many different elements to the song. Ramsay starts by singing in a haunting low voice, with minimal instrumentation in the background, to complete the haunted feeling of the song. By the second verse, more instrumentation fills the song, but not in a comforting way. The music thunders on and truly gives the vibe of a stormy night in a haunted house.

“The Killing Kind” exhibits another classic Marianas Trench quality; the lyrics call back to a previous song on the album. The music slows as Ramsay sings “Stirs of whispers trail and lingers / you still haunt the corner of my heart,” calling back to “Echoes of You.” The song slides into a chilling repeated refrain before going into another call-back, this time referencing “Eleonora.”

“The Killing Kind” takes a dramatic turn after this, going into a guitar solo, performed by the band’s guitarist Matt Webb, and bassist Mike Ayley. Then the song becomes heavy with percussion by Casselman. “The Killing Kind” ends with Ramsay belting the name “Eleonora” at the top of his lungs, begging her one last time to stay with him.

All in all, “Phantoms” did not disappoint longtime Trenchers, and will be certain to bring in new fans. Marianas Trench is currently touring Canada, and will be touring the United States in May for their “Suspending Gravity” tour.