Irish modern folk wizards Lankum have dropped off a very special treat for this Hallloween season: an eight-minute, beautifully haunting cover of The Specials’ “Ghost Town”. The result is so magnificent, you’d think it was something they’d been dreaming of for a long time, but it actually came out of the blue, as they explain:
“Ghost Town came to us through some curious circumstances. Oona Doherty, who we were familiar with through her phenomenal dance work on the video for Gilla Band’s ‘Shoulderblades’, contacted us and told us about a new show she was putting together. It was about her great-great-grandfather being sent to Belfast as a child to live with his aunts and work in an abattoir. She wanted a new piece of music for the show, for a party scene set on Halloween night, and told us she wanted it to start out indistinguishable and woozy, before developing into the very recognisable track by The Specials.
“At first we were slightly reticent, since a cover of a ska tune wasn’t something we’d usually ever consider, but after a bit of deliberation we decided we’d give it a shot, and the result took us on an incredibly enjoyable journey that had us gleefully playing with synthesisers and drum machines in Hellfire Studios, trying to come up with the scaldiest 90s sounding techno for the outro section of the track.
“We’re very excited with the end product and delighted that Oona approached us and challenged us to step out of our comfort zone. It’s an honour to be releasing a version of this iconic tune, and it feels eerily relevant to be referencing yet again themes of urban decay, economic hardship and working class frustration.
“Enjoy responsibly.”
Not only is the song itself a marvel, but it comes accompanied by a stunning short film of a video shot in County Wicklow, directed by Leonn Ward, with cinematography by Robbie Ryan. Take a watch of that below or find the song on streamers.
Lankum’s “Ghost Town” will be released as a 12″ single through Rough Trade in January (pre-order).
