Album Review/ Avant Garde : Hoxsey’s ‘Ghosts We Keep’

Hoxsey is for the listeners who are looking for something diverse and explorative. This project goes looking for energy outside of genre boundaries and mainstream styles. Blending post punk with avant garde electronica, darkwave, and new sound samples, every song is an invention. The artist is not out to create a definite stylistic brand, rather, Hoxsey is a sound engineer, constantly looking for moments of musical eureka that they can share with the listeners. ‘Ghosts We Keep’ is the latest release from this project. A series of raw and energetic tracks that come in swinging from the chandelier. The compositions are deliberately absurd, with moments of horror and convoluted features, each one opening up a different door. It’s like you’re watching a slow burn and it keeps rising up into you, in the most deliciously haunting way. 

‘Skeleton Key’ opens the collection. It is instantly spooky and fresh out to haunt. The artist opens the album with a strong number, tying the theme into the music in a literal way. With Taliba Fields’ vocal drawl, instrumental theatrics and chorals that build a cavernous soundscape around it all, it is a proper opera. A modern opera for those haunted by their demons. It’ll have you digging and scratching into those raw and twisted pieces that linger. 

The artist does not just make music. It’s a conceptual exploration that weaves in emotion, showmanship, depth and creative dimension. The more you listen to the ambient builds in ‘Old Man McKenzie’s Basement’ and ‘Scratches’, or the ballad in ‘Corpses Ball Room’, you’ll see the artistic refinements that the artist constantly loops back into. Moments of immersive magic that is meant to take you deeper into the journey. 

Other tracks like ‘The Road’, ‘Josaphina’, and ‘Pixelated Whorror’ are a rush of atmospheric power. They have immense textural persuasion and depth. Auditory energy that emerges from a deep layer and travels all the way up to an intimate raw scene. The best way to enjoy these tracks is to let yourself be carried into those layers and allow them to draw you out. 

Just like that, there are so many journeys within the journey. Such thoughtful and layered soundscapes that have meaningful intention. To an average person, it might seem like just another abstract album. However, there is so much artistic value that runs through this album. The nebulousness in the interpretation might just be its best feature, because then it means that everyone has a different experience altogether. Definitely a must listen for listeners looking for something interesting and powerful. Listen Now!

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The album is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music! 

You can listen to ‘Ghosts We Keep’ by Hoxsey here -