Music Reviews

Today 5th of Feb sees ghostbells – release their EP ”Catacouture” & latest single ”Color” you can read our review here

ghostbells’ debut EP ”Catacouture” arrives like a velvet draped apparition, steeped in dark new wave elegance and emotional excess. Across six tracks, the band constructs a nocturnal world where melancholic romance, wrath, longing, and eternal lovers intertwine, drawing the listener into a space that feels both intimate and ominous.

The EP opens with the debut single “Darkness Saves,” a seductive descent into shadow where surrender becomes salvation. Pulsing basslines and reverb-drenched guitars coil beneath witchy, hypnotic vocals, setting the tone for an album that finds beauty in emotional collapse. It’s a statement of intent: ghostbells are unafraid of darkness, and they know how to make it alluring.

Midway through the EP, “Wrath” burns with restrained fury, its tension simmering rather than exploding. The track sits perfectly at the center of ”Catacouture”, embodying the record’s emotional core anger filtered through longing, control, and devotion. Hypnotic synth textures and a steady, driving rhythm give the song a ritualistic pull.

The EP closes with the band’s latest single, “The Color,” a haunting finale that feels like the aftermath of passion and ruin. It lingers, wrapping the record in a sense of tragic romance and unresolved desire.

With ”Catacouture”, ghostbells weave a compelling debut that balances dark new wave tradition with a modern, cinematic sensibility. It’s an EP that invites repeat listens, rewarding those willing to surrender fully to its shadowy embrace.

”Catacouture” flys in with an 8 out of 10

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Follow ghostbells:




Reviewer  – Ian Mc Donnell @mcgigmusic

Ian Mc Donnell

Recent Posts

Kingfishr / The Scratch / Conor Kiernan – live gallery and review from St Anne’s Park Dublin – 05.06.26

There are moments when a band graduates from promising to undeniable. On Friday night in…

6 hours ago

Loose Lips Live Vol. 6. featuring Annie-Dog / Affection To Rent / For Nina – live gallery and review from The Grand Social, Dublin 05.05.2026

Loose Lips and Skyrocket have now fully built a reputation for putting together lineups that…

6 hours ago

LANY / Weathers / Maisy Kay – Soft World Tour live gallery and review from 3Olympia Theatre Dublin 04.06.26

I’ve been fortunate enough to see LANY several times over the years, but this was…

4 days ago

Phoebe Bridgers – has revealed details of The Lost Tour for 2026 and will stop off at Dublin’s 3Arena

Following a sold-out acoustic show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden last night, Phoebe Bridgers…

4 days ago

New Enemy – releasing another single “Don’t Wanna Know” from our upcoming EP, you can read our review here

New Enemy’s latest single “Don’t Wanna Know” is a raw and emotionally charged anthem that…

5 days ago

Dea Matrona have announced a headline show at The Academy, Dublin

Irish rock powerhouse Dea Matrona return stronger and more assured with their second studio album…

5 days ago