Ghost Will Delay Next Album Release Until After the U.S. Presidential Elections
According to frontman/mastermind Tobias Forge, Ghost plan to record a new album in early 2020… but they’ll wait to release it until after the U.S. presidential elections for fear the public will be too distracted otherwise.
Speaking with Overdrive, Forge had this to say:
“I am indeed going into the studio where I will be beginning the work in January. We’re doing another American tour in September/October and then we’re gonna come back to Europe and that is gonna take us right up until Christmas basically.
“So, after New Year’s we are gonna have maybe one or two small things at the beginning of the year and then it’s gonna be all about the new album.
“People need to understand that I spend about five to six months in the studio. That’s not with red lights going or anything. [Laughs] But it’s just being in that creative environment, you know?
“I also try to work ‘normal’ hours because I have a family also so, I try to work traditional hours, you know. I like to come in on Monday morning at about 9 am, 10 am and then I do normal stuff like have lunch and think about what’s going on, and then I wrap up for the day and head home and see my family.
“In order to make that record, it’s gonna take me about six months and then that’s gonna take me to the summer, which we’ve already decided we’re gonna take a break a let the dust settle, and then hopefully by the end of the summer the record will be finished.
“Unfortunately or fortunately, depends on how you see it, the US elections are happening, so bearing that in mind, it’s not the best time to release new material when people’s minds are focused on other things. I just want to make sure that when we release this new album, we have peoples attention.”
Two thoughts here:
1. It’s awesome that Forge plans to spend six months in the studio writing, tinkering and, of course, recording. That’s a rarity in this day and age of austere recording budgets and a luxury I’m sure he knows he’s very lucky to be able to afford.
2. I can’t decide whether the U.S. elections are that much of a distraction worth delaying an album release over or whether Forge is making something out of nothing. They are a distraction for other news, that’s for sure… but for music consumption? Do we have any data on music sales during past election cycles to back that claim up? Stressful times like those are when we need fresh tunes most of all to help keep our minds off the pressing issues of the day, but if the data says otherwise then who am I to argue?
In any case, it seems we’ll be getting a new Ghost record in the first half of 2021 at the latest, which will mark three years since the release of Prequelle. That’s a fairly standard interlude between records and one most fans can easily live with, election delay or not. The world will be ready — HOPEFULLY WITH A NEW U.S. PRESIDENT — and the album will see Ghost become more popular than ever, that’s a sure bet.
Ghost will be on tour in North America this fall.
[via Ultimate Guitar]
