WIGAN’S THE Lathums? I mean, they’re sweet, thoughtful lads (see their recent, very neat plan to raise funds for beleaguered hometown football club by raffling off a one-only vinyl pressing of their cover of northern soul classic, “The Snake”- and there’s still time to enter the draw).
But appearances can be deceptive; they’ve followed up the swoonsome, romantic folk-pop of “All My Life” with the punchier, on-the-ska-offbeat driven, woozy psych atmospheres of newbie “I See Your Ghost”, which is out today. Take a butcher’s at the video, below.
Reverb over everything, a rousing aaaah-aaaah-aaaah middle eight, tongue-twisting verses, a clicky, infectious bassline; what’s not to get excited about?
“I See Your Ghost” was reportedly laid down with all the pent-up energy of a band simmering away through the spring lockdown on the very day restrictions were lifted. And they’ve decided to lob this little Lancashire ska-psych grenade over the wall of pop just as 2020 starts to yawn and cast about looking for its winter bedcap.
Frontman and songwriter Alex Moore says: “There’s something inside me, maybe like everyone, that ticks to the beats of reggae, ska, grime or hip-hop. A natural, human swing you hear in the music that, even without the tune, still exists.
“It’s how your heart ticks. ‘I See Your Ghost’ is that feeling for me.”
If you can hear the faintest ghost of another fantastic band from just down the M58 stalking in the shadows of the song, well: The Coral’s James Skelly was on co-production duties.
Oh, that raffle to save the Latics? It’s already raised more than £3,000. Good lads.
If you think “I See Your Ghost” is a nailed on moshpit stonker, then be scrutinising their tour schedule for early next year, and see it in joyously sweaty action; all the English (and the Glasgow) dates have sold out, but if you’re living in the Celtic lands you can still get a ticket for the following dates:
Friday, June 4th, Dundee, Fat Sam’s;
Saturday, June 5th, Aberdeen, The Lemon Tree;
Tuesday, June 8th, Belfast, Limelight 2;
Thursday, June 10th, Dublin, The Academy;
Friday, June 11th, Galway, The Róisín Dubh, and
Saturday, June 12th, Limerick, Dolan’s Warehouse.
For tickets, visit The Lathums’ tour page, here; and for all information, connect with the band on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
