Cherry Ghost - Black Fang

Bolton’s answer to The National, Cherry Ghost deliver an artful indie-country single, chock with melody and pop hooks but lacking in variation and impact. ‘Black Fang’ takes only twelve seconds to introduce us to the “be my ____, I will be your ____” lyrical device that serves it well for three and three-quarter minutes; the repetitive lovestruck vocals laying comfortably over a mesh of nuanced keyboards, folk guitar and a dreamy bassline.

A spacious and gentle song, ‘Black Fang’ washes over you with an honesty and optimism, but the premise starts to wear thin near the end as each new line is just another reaffirmation, romance by default; the well-crafted song somewhat falls apart at the seams. With no satisfying conclusion and no noticeable progression, Cherry Ghost leave you wondering whether they meant any of it all. What appears to start as a love-song ends almost as an elegy, and it seems worryingly as if nothing was gained from its telling. Within this single, the band manage to stumble from one side of a fine line to another: from delicacy to powerlessness.

Oddly the real triumph of the single is that it still stands up as really very listenable, even if it is somewhat plain. Whether viewed with optimism or pessimism, whether the glass is half empty or half full, you’ve enjoyed the drink anyway.