“You clipped my angel wings when I was ready to fly.“
Being able to pin-point the exact how and why of GHØSTKID’s popularity has always been a slightly perplexing one. Their popularity seems confined to their homeland of Germany, with a tour in the UK called off under vague circumstances that has the air of lack of ticket sales. A writing style that mimicked the popular acts in the UK alternative space perhaps being too on the nose on their debut, GHØSTKID have now opted to further delve into nu-metalcore on latest record HOLLYWOOD SUICIDE, a genre and word that seemingly loses more and more meaning as the years pass-on.
A thumping opening comes on its title track, which for more astute fans of GHØSTKID will be well aware this drop well over a year ago. Despite its somewhat overused title of “HOLLYWOOD SUICIDE“, it perhaps isn’t as awful as first instincts would have expected. Layered in noise it does leave for little digestion of the track, yet will be more than fitting for those looking for some blasé heavy alternative music to listen to. “S3X” is your run of the mill metalcore clean-focused ballad, there are some chops on the chorus that do somewhat able to fully elevate themselves in the mix however.
Where HOLLYWOOD SUICIDE does deviate for the worst is on “FSU“, one of the many seemingly auto-generated track titles across this record. For all the notes on the album’s overarching narrative about crashing and burning in Hollywood, the seemingly Joker references of “Gonna take switchblade, gonna cut you up, why so serious?“, is nothing sort of cringe inducing at this point. It doesn’t improve much on “VALERIE“, which like many seem to keep doing, indulges in the trap-beat and badly done emo-rap influences.
GHØSTKID return to their safe and well-run formula on “BLACK CLOUD“. It’s here and on “UGLY” that the indifference of this sound does set in. While not actively bad, seemingly irreplaceable from the latest alternative band that will thrown into your favourite streaming company’s ‘Fresh Alternative‘ playlist or respective heavy music radio station. “BLOOD” further reinforces the perfectly listenable sound but not too interesting sound that has been written here.
Closer “HELENA DRIVE” delivers up the melancholic, slowed track, that most probably could have seen coming. It is somewhat overly melodramatic, without wanting to be too harsh, yet lyrics such as “We’re all like broken little puzzle pieces, trynna fit into a word that’s incomplete” don’t do it any massive favours as HOLLYWOOD SUICIDE exits stage left.
It’s difficult to place who or what HOLLYWOOD SUICIDE is for, yet they are seemingly seeing some quantifiable success somewhere, that sees GHØSTKID continue as a project. Those looking for some passable alternative, nu-metalcore or whatever label will be hashed onto this next, to sit alongside their listening of the likes of Asking Alexandria or Bring Me The Horizon will be more than content with HOLLYWOOD SUICIDE, if that’s a good enough metric to be considered a success for a record.
3/10
HOLLYWOOD SUICIDE is out March 22nd via Century Media Records.