Half a decade later and the duo are back

Since the late 1970s, musicians have taken the time to perfect and master the art of dance-pop/ synthpop music. With the essential use of synthesizers, bands like Holy Ghost! created music many had not heard before. Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel of Holy Ghost! quickly gained traction in the music world with the release of their self-titled debut album in 2011. Quickly after, the band released their sophomore album, Dynamics, in 2013 with the same popularity as before. It has been six years and the duo are back with Work, an album made with a much smaller range of equipment and their first through record label West End Records.

Across the 12-track LP, Frankel and Millhiser bring a kaleidoscope of sounds, beats and grooves that you can’t help but enjoy. The first two tracks of the album, “Epton on Broadway (Part I and II),” feature vocals from afro-rock singer Sinkane and lyrics that Frankel says are, “lamenting the end of a really fun era.” The third track on the album was previously released and shares a commonality with the vast audience that might be listening along. “Anxious” is filled to the brim with ‘80s disco vibes and a simple synth beat that hypnotized the listener into a groovy trance. “Heaven Knows What” takes a bit of a slower turn on Work but finds a home nestled next to the more ‘70s influenced “Nicky Buckingham.”

The duo has their most catchy chorus on “Do This.” The track becomes the essential summer-time anthem for those looking to get away with its care-free lyrics, “You must think we’re stupid/ for chasing a sound/ for running it down/ for holding our ground/ and we don’t usually do this/ it’s not what it seems/ we know what we want/ it means something to me.” The album closes with “Escape from Los Angeles,” a pulsing seven-minute feel-good track that combines all the best parts of Holy Ghost! And their small but mighty discography. The bouncy synth rhythm proves that amount of equipment can change the truly unique and changing sound Hold Ghost! creates over the years.