THE GHOST CLUB
On their new album King Whatever, The Ghost Club speak an unfiltered truth about the many frustrations of getting by in the modern world: isolation and uncertainty, worn-out expectations of masculinity, an all-too-common hostility toward those who ardently chase their dreams. All throughout the LP, the Pittsburgh-bred band brings that truth-telling to a thrilling collision of heartland rock and garage punk and new wave, etching each track with plenty of unexpected musical turns (including an abundance of spirited saxophone work). The Ghost Club’s debut release for Last Gang Records, King Whatever ultimately serves as a powerful showcase for frontman Domenic Dunegan’s raw yet incisive songwriting—an element that’s equal parts sharp-tongued commentary, gritty self-reflection, and timelessly fun rock-and-roll romanticism.
A five-piece outfit also featuring guitarist Isaiah Ross, bassist Logan Casper, drummer Christian Laliberte, and saxophonist Jake Barber, The Ghost Club emerged from Dunegan’s aspirations of co founding a band that channeled all the life-affirming energy of the iconic rock acts he considers monumentally formative. “When I was 18 I went to see Bruce Springsteen and it changed the trajectory of my life,” he recalls. “It was the greatest I’d ever felt, and from that point on I knew I had to make music and try to replicate that feeling for other people.” A former film student who spent his high-school years creating his own short films, Dunegan soon took up piano and dedicated himself to developing his craft as a songwriter. After forming The Ghost Club in 2018, he connected with producer Eric Palmquist (Bad Suns, Thrice, Plain White T’s) and forged the close collaboration that continues to shape the band’s sound. But it wasn’t until the pandemic that Dunegan’s vision for The Ghost Club truly solidified. “During lockdown I spent a lot of time driving around alone and listening to bands like KISS and the Rolling Stones, which inspired me to start playing guitar,” he says. “I started pushing myself more, creatively speaking, and it led me toward a songwriting approach that feels much more authentic to who I am.”
As he continued dreaming up new material, Dunegan linked up with musicians in the local scene and gradually assembled the lineup to The Ghost Club. A major breakthrough for the band, their 2022 single “Don’t Let Go” played a key part in setting their sonic and lyrical direction, arriving as a visceral meditation on the struggle to sustain ambition in chaotic times. “I wrote that song after watching a lot of artists give up on what they were doing after the world shut down,” says Dunegan. “It’s essentially me talking about being at rock-bottom, but feeling thankful to still have people out there rooting for me.” In bringing “Don’t Let Go” to life, The Ghost Club joined forces with Palmquist to create a sound that Dunegan envisioned as “modern Bruce Springsteen,” in part by merging its shimmering textures and propulsive rhythms with Barber’s masterfully expressive performance on sax. “Before ‘Don’t Let Go’ I kept getting caught up in second-guessing myself and worrying about how something might be received,” says Dunegan. “But making that song changed my perspective and taught me that the most important thing is to follow what feels good to me. It’s made the whole process so much more fun but also way more focused.”
Produced by Palmquist and recorded at his studio near Los Angeles, King Whatever expands on the pure abandon The Ghost Club brought to “Don’t Let Go,” presenting nine powerhouse songs rooted in Dunegan’s potent vocal work. Although the band recorded half the album before ever playing out, the LP’s second half was deeply informed by the sheer unpredictability of their live set. “There’s always an element of mayhem in our shows,” says Dunegan. “But playing live has definitely strong-armed us into being the band we are now; it’s built a real camaraderie and understanding of what everybody brings to the table. Plus there’s a strength to having your dudes who believe in what you’re doing, and want to do their part to make the songs that much better.”
Taking its title from the album’s most blistering track, King Whatever opens on the radiant alt-rock of “I’m Sold”—a wildly cathartic anthem for pursuing your passion at all costs. “Whenever you try to make something of yourself, there’s always going to be someone who tries to put you down,” says Dunegan. “‘I’m Sold’ is my way of encouraging people to never let anyone else influence how they feel about themselves, or hold them back from doing what they want with their lives.” Later, on “If I Fell,” The Ghost Club offer up a tender outpouring of restlessness and doubt, ornamenting that introspection with atmospheric textures, dreamy guitar tones, and luminous piano work. “‘If I Fell’ came from a period when a lot of bad stuff was happening in my life, including breaking my hand and not being able to play music for a while,” Dunegan says. “I was also trying to come to terms with being alone after a breakup, and I realized that part of pulling yourself out of a bad spot is accepting the fact that you need to be self-reliant and do it on your own.”
One of the most explosive moments on King Whatever, “Another Little Sucker” delivers a fuzzed-out portrait of unbridled desire, rendered in razor-sharp detail (“Black Docs, nose ring, lipstick, her hands are inked/Nicotine eyes could burn me down with just a wink”). “Eric challenged me to write a song about what makes me attracted to someone, and I realized it’s their attitude more than anything—the way they feel about themselves, the way they feel about the world,” Dunegan explains. And on “It’s Your Call,” The Ghost Club share a bittersweet but gloriously soaring look at the terror that often accompanies true vulnerability. “I wrote that song after going through a breakup with someone I’d never really opened up to, thinking about how I’d do anything to go back in time and bare my soul to that person,” Dunegan reveals. “Even though it’s much more acceptable to express your emotions freely these days, a lot of people my age were still raised with this macho man idea of masculinity that can really make it difficult to show what you’re feeling.”
Looking back on the album-making process, Dunegan notes that the creation of King Whatever served as a crucial lesson in shedding expectations and fully trusting your intuition. “I think if you look at any musician who stands the test of time, it’s because they’re able to be completely themselves instead of making something for the sake of pleasing others,” he says. “My only intention now is to be myself and focus on expressing what I need to say to the world, because that’s the only way to have any real impact on people.” To that end, Dunegan brought a new element of directness and candor to the lyrical component of King Whatever. “With the first album, there was maybe a tendency to rely on complex phrasing or metaphors in my lyrics,” he says, referring to The Ghost Club’s 2022 self-titled LP. “But this time we had a rule that if we wouldn’t say something out loud in conversation, then we wouldn’t write it in a song. I think sometimes the way to paint the most vivid picture is to use the simplest tools available to you.”
By leaning toward that formidable simplicity, The Ghost Club arrived at an album that’s wall-to-wall anthems, all primed for spontaneous singing-along. But for Dunegan, there’s another layer of purpose to their deliberate lack of artifice. “I think for a long time I had this idea that in order to be someone who spends their life making music, you had to have a lightning bolt from God hit you in the face and tell you, ‘Okay, you’re a rock star now,’” he says. “But making this album clarified that anyone from anywhere can do whatever they feel driven to do. I hope that it helps other people to recognize that, and to remember that it’s never too late to do what you want as long as you stay true to yourself—however ordinary or not ordinary that might be.”
Management:
matt@dimmentertainment.com & shane@dimmentertainment.com
Booking:
michael@mvtouring.com
Label:
Last Gang Records