Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Today, Massachusetts duo Handsome Ghost have announced their third full-length self-titled album out August 25th via Nettwerk. The announcement arrives with their new single “Like You Lost Your Mind” along with a music video directed by Nick Noyes.
Sonically, “Like You Lost Your Mind” has this push and pull element, allowing listeners to be floored with a multitude of swirling emotions. The track effortlessly blends electric guitars, subtle drums, and patient piano. Combined with lead singer Tim Noyes’ transfixing vocals, “Like You Lost Your Mind” brings to the forefront a beautiful contrast of aural textures. On the narrative side, the song alludes to the transient nature of life. It’s about cutting through the darkness, living in the moment, and allowing for one’s heart to both give and receive.
Of the new track, Handsome Ghost reveals, “‘Like You Lost Your Mind’ came about after an impromptu, memorable trip up to rural Maine during the pandemic. It goes without saying, but there was an uncertainty in the world at that time that no one had ever experienced, and the trip up north was a chance to escape it all for a while and just enjoy being human for a few days. The song recognizes that nothing is permanent, and everything is fleeting, especially the good stuff. It’s a pledge to lean into experiences without a guard up, and to live with an open heart – even when it feels crazy to do so.”
Of the music video, Handsome Ghost says,
For ‘Like You Lost Your Mind,’ we want to focus on the idea that things aren’t always as they seem and explore the way many of us present manicured versions of our lives to others. The line ‘love me like you lost your mind’ in this case is more about obsession or infatuation – unhealthy love – if you can call it love at all. The video follows a 20-something woman who is convinced an idol of hers lives the perfect life – only to eventually realize that the woman she would love to trade places with is just as lost as she is.
Handsome Ghost’s forthcoming album Handsome Ghost further cements the band in the alternative/indie space and is a beautiful body of work true to their authentic sound. At the same token, it’s their most personally revealing album to date. The collection of songs touch upon the past, the good old days, the perennial ups and downs of not only being a musician but the trials and tribulations of adulthood. The record was born out of the pandemic, but its themes are universal and explore temporary happiness, fate, feeling out of sync, and more.
Tim Noyes of Handsome Ghost reveals this about the album,
“On the songwriting for the record, at some point it hit me that I had been playing in bands for a very, very long time. I realized that music, for better or for worse, had become the defining element of my adult life. Countless tours and making records – I’ve had incredible experiences over the years that very few people get to have. But as a result, I have found myself stuck in some sort of partial state of adulthood and I recognize the impact that years in music have had on the other parts of my life. The songs on the album are an examination of those years spent pushing the musical rock up the musical hill, and where it’s all led me. I’m less trying to answer the question of ‘was it all worth it?’ – though, for the record, I think it has been – and more just noting how it all happened, and documenting the good, the bad, and the ugly that I witnessed along the way.”
You can pre-order the new album here.
