The latest single from LA-based band Love Ghost is a collab between them and Bali Baby entitled “Dirty Pixxx”. The song is a romantic and sexy sketch about a sleazy and seductive lady who sends the singer “Dirty pics”. The narrative is no stranger to pop or hip-hop fans, but what Love Ghost brings to the table here is more than just gimmicky lyrics and tongue-in-cheek humour. The song has a pummeling drum beat with a prominent snare drum, a groovy bassline, and 2000s-esque distorted guitars that are choppy enough to make you bang your head and thrash around. For a moment there, I felt like I was in 2007 watching a new Paramore or Panic! At The Disco on the Fueled By Ramen Youtube Channel. But it’s 2022 and the trending pop-punk bands of today are no longer reluctant about making catchy radio-friendly material or featuring rappers. The production quality that Mr Mike Summers [Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Tech N9ne] is so fresh and every instrument is audible and balanced in the mix. The rapped verse by Baby Bali is something as equally sexy as the song’s lyrics, and to top it all off, the official music video of the song is hilarious and has a little “dirty” surprise (that I won’t spoil) in its ending.
Nostalgic as the music style itself and its lyrical themes may be, there is an accessible and modern edge that Love Ghost can effortlessly put in their tracks. There are parts where frontman Finnegan Bell’s singing felt like spoken word and he made some nasal parts that fit in so well with Bali Baby’s rapped verse. It’s amazing to hear such a homogenous track that’s filled to the brim with style without ditching the substance.
