London three-piece Ghosts of Our Former Selves return with the soulful new single ‘The Island’, taken from their second album due for release this year. Comprised of lead-singer Theo Brehony, guitarist Sanderson Rocha, and producer Fred Ala – They’re a creative juggernaut that addresses everyday issues to wider, socio-political turmoil in their music.
The band’s live show is a force to be reckoned with and it’s no surprise knowing each member’s musical background. Lead singer Theo Brehony sang and co-wrote a world-wide Freestylers hit “Push Up”, has supported Beyonce on tour and counts Elton John as a fan of his vocals. Producer Fred Ala, formerly signed to Sony, has worked with multiple studio legends including Gus Dudgeon (Elton John, Bowie) and Robin Miller (Sade), and is a master hip hop beats maker. It’s these years of live and studio experience that creates a unique songwriting style that’s been featured by The Independent, Blues and Soul Magazine, and seen them rack up over 200k views on their outstanding live videos.
The new single ‘The Island’, points to the band’s love of old school gospel & hip hop. On the backing vocal sections, they even worked with the London Community Gospel Choir, while keys genius Jon Moody (of Frank Moody) also plays on the record. It’s a track that addresses issues of isolation and mental health in men and tells the story of a son’s relationship with an absent father. On the new single, lead singer Theo states:
“We were really influenced by this gospel album from the early 70’s by a guy called Pastor T.L. Bennet. The gospel sound goes with what I’m saying to my dad in the song. He literally isolated himself on an island physically and with his own mental demons. It’s about living in the past and withdrawing with the excuse that you are living on your own terms. Everybody feels this sometimes but you can’t let it happen – that’s why when the gospel choir sings, “No Man Can Stand On His Own Island” it means so much to me every time I hear it.”