“The name of the band stemmed from a conversation between Ben and me about how the ghosts of the past so often haunt people. But what if these ghosts of our pasts were simultaneously haunted by our future selves as well?” asks Chris Ayer about the name of his alt-pop duo DON’T SCARE THE GHOSTS with collaborator Ben Epand. “We thought by phrasing it as an instruction like you’d see on an adventure park ride, akin to ‘Keep arms and legs inside the train at all times’ or ‘Don’t feed the fish’ conveyed it in an appropriately absurd way,” he laughs. Don’t Scare the Ghosts new self-titled EP is released today, March 29, 2024 via Arkival Records.
The first single, “Turn Up,” fuels an adrenaline rush that’s perfectly coupled with its video, which captures Epand and Ayer driving through the backroads of Los Angeles. Firmly entrenched in the potent alt-rock world that merges industrial-heavy beats with the power of rock guitars and threaded with an insanely catchy melody, the track is a fitting introduction to Don’t Scare the Ghosts’ musical amalgam.
Drawing inspiration from anthemic bands like Twenty One Pilots, X Ambassadors and Imagine Dragons, Epand and Ayer have a knack for writing songs that resonate with Film & TV. Their songs have been featured in TV commercials for McDonald’s, San Benedetto Water, NBA Channel, NFL Super Bowl & Pro Bowl, MLB Playoffs, F* Boy Island, and the indie series The Freak Brothers starring John Goodman and Woody Harrelson.
Like its elliptical name, the music of Don’t Scare the Ghosts embraces and cautions, offering comfort with soaring hooks that are hauntingly infectious and coupled with caustic rhythms invoking industrial and metal. “We wanted to create something that lived in the industrial alt-rock world that we were so influenced by on this project in general, with lyrics that were triumphant and evoked the kind of power and confidence that we aspire to but rarely hit– but that feels so good in the moments that you can embody, and to make it something anthemic enough that it would inspire that confidence,” Chris explains.
Their new EP, Don’t Scare the Ghosts, embodies that mission statement and more. The pulsating “Let’s Go (Ready or Not)” carries an undercurrent of subdued energy, recalling a Pretty Hate Machine overtone of restrained ferocity. The anthemic “Running the Game” is primed for arm-waving, stadium-sized singalongs. Don’t Scare the Ghosts is a thrilling excursion with an energetic momentum that doesn’t let up, leaving you breathless.
“More than anything we’d like to hype people up and inspire energy and excitement through some heavy-hitting music that we loved to make,” Chris concludes. “We put a lot of creativity and energy into building the world of this record, and we are excited for folks to receive that energy!”
Don’t Scare the Ghosts is Ben Epand and Chris Ayer. Their self-titled EP is released today, March 29, 2024 via Arkival Records.