Australian faves Tropical Fuck Storm have announced that they’ll be releasing a new 7″ on September 11 through Joyful Noise, and they’ve made the A-side, “Legal Ghost”, available to stream now. The song is actually an old pre-Drones song that was recorded by Gareth Liddiard on the four-track offering Bong Oddyssey back in the 90s. He says:
“This is the first song I ever wrote that I thought was actually a decent song. Everything before it was kinda a big tantrum, but this song had a touch of class. When I was putting together the Bong Odyssey record a few years ago, I heard it again and thought this was something that could work really well with TFS, although the original was really cool, it still sounded more like a sketch of a song, and wasn’t quite fully realised, so I took the song to TFS and we fleshed it out a bit.”
The new “Legal Ghost” is certainly fleshed-out, but not over-done. Tropical Fuck Storm’s take is atmospheric and patient, gradually building over he course of six minutes in tandem with the growing despondency in Liddiard’s lyrics and singing. The feelings of alienation and dejection are reflected in the coiling guitar work that oozes around the thudding drum skeleton, and it feels like the mental walls are closing in, until a resounding numbness settles in and the guitar wailing reaches fever pitch. While far from an uplifting listen, “Legal Ghost” is a compelling one that feels euphoric in its nihilism.
The B-side on the forthcoming 7″ is a cover of Talking Heads’ classic “Heaven” – you can pre-order here. Follow Tropical Fuck Storm on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
