Galapaghost
I Never Arrived
(self-released)

A soft drone synth and picked guitar inform a sweet, sad atmosphere on Galapaghost’s opener “Mazes in the Sky” from their latest I Never Arrived. “Salt Lake City” is another plinking, plucked acoustic number featuring Casey Chandler on vocals. I like how this one slowly builds, keys sneaking in underneath with a spacey guitar. It’s a sweet lament about the narrator aching to be loved. I love the down-step progression of “Science of Lovers” with its dripping piano, expert harmonies, and vocal layering; this is spectacular stuff here. The running riff of “The Secrets Our Body Keeps” and again the spot-on harmonies and the guitar layering with Alessio Sanfilippo’s drumming bubbling up drives this rockier end of the 12 songs here. “The Greatest Roommate” is just a freaking hoot with it’s great, wry lyrics. It’s for any one of us who has ever lived with anyone… and has gotten sick of them! Piano and guitar fit lock-and-key on the ballad “Goodbye (My Visa Arrived).” Again, here is a lyric you don’t expect, softly sung. There’s a certain vibe to this record I really like. It opens slowly in your brain, but it is layered with great instrumental moments, wonderful harmony vocals, and certainly solid lyrics that are really about something. Chandler is on acoustic guitar, singing, playing piano, bass, synths, and figuring in drum programming while part-time band member Federico Puttilli adds electric and acoustic guitars, ukulele, and egg shaker, and Sanfilippo is on drums. Galapaghost really delivers here.