Love Ghost x Skold: 'Ski Mask' | US indie/alt-rock band and Swedish industrial legend issue new collaborative single and announce debut album on Metropolis Records
US indie/alt-rock maverick Love Ghost (Finnegan Bell) and Swedish industrial music legend Tim Skold (SKOLD, Shotgun Messiah, KMFDM, Marilyn Manson, Motionless in White) have issued their third collaborative single, ‘Ski Mask’, today. The song is included on their eponymous debut album, which is set for release on 22nd November via Metropolis Records.
Mixing fire with brimstone, these two innovative artists have joined forces to forge the raw energy of grunge with the driving rhythms of industrial rock, embellished with gothic hues. However, despite the pop sensibility of ‘Ski Mask’, there is a darker background to the song. “It takes the listener on an emotional journey and has a crestfallen vibe akin to what a broken society feels like,” explains Bell. "Influenced by how an over-medicated youth can find it hard to manage the ups and downs of life as an adult, the lyrics deal with my personal relationship with pharmaceuticals, altered brain chemistry and how it leads you to some very dark places. It is told through the perspective of a heist, hence the title 'Ski Mask’.”
"This song definitely explores a darker side of our creativity, touching on ups and downs not usually explored in such a catchy almost pop format," adds Skold.
‘Ski Mask' follows the recent ‘Nightshade and Cocaine’ VIDEO STREAM and the duo’s 2023 debut single ‘Payback’ VIDEO STREAM, both of which set the tone for the dark rock n’ roll soundscape of their forthcoming album.
Aside from releasing music as SKOLD, Tim Skold is known for his work as half of the duo Not My God (with Nero Bellum), KMFDM, Shotgun Messiah, Motionless in White and - especially - Marilyn Manson. In addition to being a full-fledged member of the latter, he also produced their no. 1 US album 'The Golden Age of Grotesque', celebrated hit single cover versions of 'Tainted Love' and 'Personal Jesus’, plus the controversial 'Eat Me, Drink Me' album.
Founded by vocalist/guitarist Finnegan Bell, Love Ghost is an enigmatic LA-based band known for its distinctive blend of grunge, indie/alt- rock and post-punk. Informed by the Seattle tradition as much as a Soundcloud-era fearlessness, the combination of a raw, energetic sound with mature lyrics - not to mention several other recent collaborations - have earned them plaudits from US outlets such as Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, American Songwriter and New Noise.