Ghost Car, the London-based international punk quartet, recently released their debut album Truly Trash via One Little Independent Records.
The riotous, quick-witted collection of 11 garage-rock bangers provides Ghost Car with a platform to rage against political injustices, as their unified harmonies attack patriarchal inequality, homophobia, racism and toxic relationships. Truly Trash is a call to reclaim autonomy and to revolt against the powers that uphold an archaic nationalist system.
Right out the gate Truly Trash makes its intentions clear. Raw intensity builds toward blistering, riff-heavy noise-outs while frenzied synth drags the sound in a 60’s psych direction. Call-and-response gang vocals permeate the entire record as back-to-back choruses keep energy levels at maximum, boasting huge glam guitars and caustic drums of pure fury.
Originally the album was due to be released by Burger Records, however as accounts of sexual assault and exploitation of women by associates of the label came to light the band pulled out of the planned release. As activists for feminism and members of the LGBTQ+ community, Ghost Car practice what they preach, and aim to spread their mantra of inclusivity and equal rights as loud as possible.
We had a chat with the band all about what they’ve been up to, the making of Truly Trash and more. Read the Q&A below.
Hi guys! How are you? How have the last two years been for you as a band (with the pandemic and shutting down of Burger Records)? This year in particular has seen you gain a lot of momentum. What’s that journey been like?
Cece: “2020 has been the start of everything for me, initially very slowly but I’m glad we had the chance to find our rhythm and our way of writing together before having the pressure of gigging around. It’s been great to have the chance to record our first album together and finally being able to perform it live.”
Clara: “All good! Thank you! Pandemic was scary and frustrating but we managed to write new music and that helped us so much to remember why we are in a band and how much we love playing music. We are over the moon to finally have our debut album in our hands after many years of hard work.”
Maeve: “Regarding Burger, we found it harrowing but sadly not surprising. The punk scene can be very exclusive and abusive, especially for marginalised communities. We’re proud and stand by the people who spoke out, but the one positive to come from this is that it’s starting an honest discussion in order to stamp this abuse out, and make the punk scene a more inclusive space.”
Laura: “The last two years have been amazing and challenging…with lots of time on wasted plans, but we never gave up, and it made us fight harder.. In the last year we had lots of beginnings, we found Ceci, and writing together took time but it was so great Having the band was more important than ever during those times. We then signed to OLI. The past year has been very busy with recording the album/ and creating assets for the campaign. We shot three videos in a month in the end! We did it! We feel very proud!”
For anyone discovering Ghost Car here for the first time, please gave us a brief history on the band, your mission and your influences.
Cece: “I’ll leave the history of the band to the other girls, but to me Ghost Car mission is to create a safe and non judgmental place for everyone in music, where you can just have fun while dealing with important issues. We don’t aim to be the best band in the world, but we hope that we can make the difference for someone that hasn’t seen themselves represented on a stage before.
“We all have different influences, from the 60s rock n’roll to the 90s riot grrrl with a big stop in the 70s and 80s punk and post-punk scene.”
Clara: “Ghost Car started in 2014, I had my keyboard in my room and I asked my best friend who was my housemate that time as well, if she wanted to start a band called Ghost Car. She was in! Bought a bass guitar and the same week, two other friends, Laura and Jessica were in too! Our mission is to change the music industry dominated by men and speak up about life but in particular injustices or things that make us angry, for example dickheads politicians or inequality and one of the most wonderful thing is to hear after a gig people saying we are such an inspiration and they would start their own band and play music.”
Maeve: “For people discovering us for the first time, we’ve been described as anything from garage punk, glam punk to old school style punk to riot girl! Or my personal fav “shouty shit”. We would suggest playing the album loud before a night out!”
You’ve just released your debut LP Truly Trash. What can you tell us about the record? What do you hope fans/listeners take away from it?
Cece: “The album is our way to express what bothers us, from personal interactions to international politics. We wanted to explore different themes in a simple way so that they could be accessible to everyone.”
Clara: “I hope fans can enjoy our album and feel identified with the songs and also have a great time listening to the music.”
Please take us through your songwriting/creative process for Truly Trash. What was your favourite part and what did you find most challenging?
Cece: “Everyone in Ghost Car contributes in equal way, we all write lyrics and our own parts and we put them together giving advices to each other.
“The most challenging part was definitely trying to write during a national lockdown, but we found our way, sending music projects to each other and adding our own layers on top.”
Clara: “My favourite part is to feel the connection we have between us creating the songs together. The most challenging bit is when you ask yourself: Is this good or is it rubbish?”
Finally, what are your plans for 2023?
Cece: “We will start writing again and get ready for a UK and EU tour!”
Clara: “Our plans for 2023 is to start writing the second album and touring.”
