The new single from Nikki & the Phantom Callers is an old song written about even older fables. Penned years ago, Nikki Speake’s inspiration for the ballad was drawn from intertwining stories relayed by her maternal and paternal grandfathers involving a shifty black cat and a tiny songbird capable of relaying the news of the day. Each story informed Speake’s awareness of the world as a place of magic and mystery, an understanding which eventually came to color her perception of death and of the ghosts that haunt our lives: In this world, once mortality fades there is no heaven or hell, just a place for wayward souls to congregate and process their heartache and trauma.
“I grew up loving melancholy ghost stories, horror movies, Edgar Allen Poe, Southern Gothic imagery and wanted to write a ghost story of my own,” Speake elaborates. “In these stories, the ghost is usually someone who died so tragically that they are too confused, shocked, or maddened to go to a heaven with pillowy clouds and streets of gold where everyone rejoices, so they remain on earth in torment. I thought of an afterlife that wasn’t heaven, hell, or purgatory, but a place for lost souls to meet and bond; they still dance and sing, but find solace in their collective sadness. I like the idea of my tragic raven-haired beauty spending eternity frolicking through the night with a trickster black cat and an informative songbird.”
The forlorn beauty forged from the stories of Speake’s youth shines through the skeletal arrangement of “They’ve Never Walked Through Shadows.” As they explore the intersection between tragedy, acceptance, and peace, the four-piece strip down the ‘60s sound integral to previous releases in favor of a melancholic exploration of Americana’s Appalachian roots that exposes the fragile allure of Speake’s haunting voice.
Anyone in search of spooky melodrama to soundtrack the changing seasons will be disappointed, but the somber call and response that echoes through “They’ve Never Walked Through Shadows” is worth more than the musical mood lighting which comes to mind any time “Southern Gothic” is tossed around as a descriptor of dark, vintage-hued pop. Anna Kramer (Rock*A*Teens, Shantih Shantih) continues to balance Speake’s lyrics with her own gently insistent voice as the two put their spin on a mysterious tale. The religious imagery is hypnotic, and despite the lack of linear progress, a mystical hope seems to grow through each fleeting verse.
Listen below.
“They’ve Never Walked Through Shadows” is a teaser for an album set to be released in april 2020.
Nikki & the Phantom Callers will perform on Thu., Oct. 17 at Smith’s Olde Bar alongside J.P. Harris. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $10 in advance or $15 DOS. 18+ to enter.
More Info
Web: nikkiandthephantomcallers.com
Bandcamp: nikkispeake.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @NikkiandthePhant0mCallers
Instagram: @nikkiandthephantomcallers
SoundCloud: @nikkiandthephantomcallers