Massachusetts duo Handsome Ghost have returned today with their new single, “Call Me When You’re Pulling Up” via Nettwerk. Carried by a driving rhythm, warm soundscape and melancholic shoegaze influences, the track is an exercise in self-reflection, thinking inwardly, and a call to action to pull oneself out of the gutters of feeling unrecognizable to themselves. Listen to the track now below.
Of the new track, Handsome Ghost recounts, “‘Call Me When You’re Pulling Up’ is a song about being down and out – about looking around and realizing that you don’t really recognize where, or who, you are anymore. And it’s a plea to the one person who you think can pull you out of it all and bring you back to what you were before, back when everything was different. There’s a desperation to the whole thing but I wouldn’t say it’s entirely full of defeat. There’s still an element of hope within the song – that things will get better, in time.”
Accompanied by a music video directed by lead singer Tim Noyes’ brother, Nick Noyes, the cinematic visuals and satirical narrative are inspired by the likes of A24 films. In the video, a giant, analog phone chases the protagonist in a remote area, mirroring the ripple effects of false self-presentation displayed on social media. Director Nick Noyes shares this about the visuals, “To me the video is taking a large idea of the dangers of social media and boiling it down to its simplest form, a tongue-in-cheek horror movie with a phone as the villain. The video explores the ‘insta vs reality’ and the role technology has on our lives through a campy lens. The protagonist (played by the fantastic Jessica Morgan) can never quite get away from the phone as it filters and changes her look while forcing her to perform for the camera.”
Handsome Ghost reemerged in late last summer with the release of “Neptune,” their first new music since 2020’s Some Still Morning LP. Powered by clean guitars, hushed vocals, and a plush ambience, the recent offering is sonically pieced together seamlessly and effectively. While intricately crafted arrangements and peaceful textures contribute to the song’s alluring grasp, it’s lyricist Tim Noyes’ delicate portrait of an enigmatic woman that keeps you sticking around.
Comprised of singer/songwriter Tim Noyes and multi-instrumentalist/producer Eddie Byun, Massachusetts duo Handsome Ghost communes in a creative call-and-response, answering each other’s personal and musical confessions, thoughts, and questions sonically. Underpinned by these two perspectives, the music tempers otherworldly production with organic performances, raw arrangements, and nostalgic warmth with future-facing wonder.