Sister Ghost’s otherworldly Halloween offering, Beyond The Water, is out today, Thursday 31 October. The Derry-based Sister Ghost, aka Shannon Delores O’Neill, creates a crashing art-rock album that feels at once defiant and triumphant.
Beyond The Water opens with ‘She’s Wild’ as if by way of introduction to Sister Ghost and all you can expect from her. Existing fans will already be familiar with Sister Ghost’s talent for empowering lyrics from the album’s single ‘I Bite Back’ released in September.
‘Dark Matter’, an earlier single, focuses on her experience of growing up a queer woman in rural Ireland. With lyrics such as “I saw you turning like the tide, whispers and secrets we couldn’t hide” the song was inspired by the iconic, queer, Céline Sciamma film Portrait Of A Lady On Fire.
Released via Third Bard Records, Beyond The Water is produced by Brad Wood (known for his work with Liz Phair and Veruca Salt) and features drums from DEVO musician Jeff Friedl.
Sister Ghost conjures comparisons with Breeders, Sonic Youth and Patti Smith and it’s easy to imagine Kate Bush ominously dancing along to tracks like ‘Death Is A Kiss’. While bass-driven songs such as ‘Scorpio Moon’ will entice fans of heavy guitars and rock anthems, Sister Ghost’s most captivating talent is in the rich velvet of her haunting vocals and intense harmonies.
Beyond the Water launches at Nerve Centre in Derry on 31 October or you can catch Sister Ghost in Edinburgh on 22 November.
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