Up and Comers Music

Imagine music with an emo attitude, gritty early 2000s guitars, drums with a pop-punk sensibility, and lyrics that speak of an alternate universe where we live our life stories in reverse. It’s not Blink 182 or The Offspring we’re talking about; it’s Surrender The Ghost, Columbus, Ohio’s emerging alt rock gem. 

As is true of many anthems of this genre, it’s the lyrics and the story of the song that carry the day in “Living Backwards”, the latest single from this midwestern rock outfit. Vocalist Ricky Gonzalez starts us off with a couple of cleverly crafted phrases to set the tone:

“I woke up on the right side of the wrong bed/

I’m alive but I’m dreaming that I’m dead”

True to the title of the track, Gonzalez has given us the sense that something is backwards here. He proceeds to tell us he’s been to the other side of life (perhaps in the dream he mentioned) and would tell us what it’s like, but he doesn’t want to ruin the surprise. Now that he has us firmly planted in this alternative reality where things are a bit flipped on their head, he’s able to reflect upon the nature of life and how things haven’t always gone as planned.

Surrounded by the gritty Green Day guitar sounds and tight and snappy drums, the singer gets to the crux of the narrative in the chorus: he wishes he could live life backwards to learn from his mistakes before they were made. While ultimately melancholy in nature, the story told in the lyrics feels cathartic while surrounded by the high-energy rock instrumentation of the song. This is powerful music and storytelling woven together by band members effortlessly locked in with each other. 

All in all, Surrender The Ghost deliver a finely executed piece of alt rock with emotionally heavy underpinnings in the latest of their compositions. With lyrics as imaginative as they are moving and a high-powered, guitar-driven sound, Surrender The Ghost are the complete package for fans of this genre. 

Stream Living Backwards here and follow the band on Instagram to stay up to date on their latest. 

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