EP Review: The Mechanical Ghosts // The Monster
Despite being long-time friends and even next-door neighbours at one point, it was only in 2020 that multi-instrumentalists Phillip Killingsworth and Tyla-Joe Connett came together on a musical level. In February 2020, Killingsworth and Connett began crafting a new form of electronic pop-rock known as The Mechanical Ghosts. Filled with passion and energy, their music merges powerful instrumentation with dynamic rock vocals. Their debut EP as The Mechanical Ghosts is The Monster.
A quick random but interesting fact regarding The Monster. The production of this six-track EP was an international project as writing and recording were completed between Yorkshire, England and Tuscany, Italy. Hold on, that’s not the end of the interesting fact! Towards the finalising of recording, Killingsworth almost did not make it back to the UK because of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions in Italy and the UK. He made it back, but Connett found himself in lockdown in Italy.
Alright, interesting facts over, what do I think of the six-track EP?
The Mechanical Ghosts note their musical influences being The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Prodigy and Daft Punk among others. This influence, particularly those of the 1980s icons, is very evident throughout The Monster. Killingsworth’s melodic vocals merge well with the synth-heavy instrumentation finding the balance between a retro and contemporary sound. It’s like The Cure meets Sleeping with Sirens with a twinge of Bring Me The Horizon.
Lyrically, The Monster is an exploration of pop culture and living in the 21st century from both a negative and positive perspective. Despite being quite a melancholic and poignant EP, the feeling is upbeat with a refreshing honesty. BBC Introducing Humberside stated that The Monster is lyrically interesting with music to a high standard – I have to agree.