Butch Walker's latest release Afraid of Ghosts is a hard listen. But it's oh so good. It's not going to be played at any parties. It's not the record you put on in the summertime with the top down. It's the kind of record you listen to late at night driving by yourself in the middle of nowhere in a cold mist. Or home alone in an introspective mood.Afraid of Ghosts is all about ghosts and loss and death and heartache and heartbreak and hope. That last word was not a typo. If you can wade through all the sorrow, keep going because there is someone counting on you.
That being said, I knew it was good on first listen. But after several spins, it gets better. If you are prepared to take a journey into the deep, dark recesses of a man's soul, this record is for you. Consider yourself forewarned. It's not for the faint of heart.
I think Walker himself put it best in his note on the YouTube post for "21+":
"so I wrote a song called “21+”…. and no, it’s not a Florida Georgia line song about trying to get into a bar with a fake ID, cooler full of cold beer, pickup truck, girl, babe, angel, tight jeans yada yada yada… sorry. it’s actually just a sad song with a total bummer of a lyric…. for your sad days. but i like it. so here it is"
Here is the video for "Bed On Fire", which is a bit disturbing in and of itself.
