All these reviews have really turned me into a fan of Love Ghost. They’ve got their style on lock, they’ve got a great sensibility for collaborations, and their aesthetic is very timely.
“Dopeman” opens with what sounds like a baritone guitar riff and a very clever piece of lyricism delivered by frontman Finnegan Bell; “I am the dopeman / this is how we cope, man.” And it doesn’t stop there. The lyricism, right from the first verse, is some of the best that I’ve heard from Love Ghost so far.
“Dopeman,” like most of Love Ghost’s discography, is a fusion of emo and something else. In this case, that something else is a slightly dated house beat – maybe something that would have bumped in the club pre-pandemic-era – but that’s not the point. It works anyway – the four-on-the-floor beat gives the song dynamic propulsion, and that chorus really hits.
Bell’s vocals are, as usual, well-performed and well-produced. What really hit me, though, was the rhythmic, lyrical, and tonal competence of the guest verse, provided by Camidoh. My brief look into the background of this track leads me to understand that both collaborators, DJ SWITCH GHANA and Camidoh, are Ghanain, further cementing Love Ghost’s commitment to reaching out across countries and continents for their collaborations.
The instrumentation on “Dopeman” is honestly pretty interesting. I haven’t heard a house beat merge so seamlessly and effectively with heavy rock guitars in a very long time, and Love Ghost have achieved that effortlessly here. (Or maybe not effortlessly. Maybe it took them hours of mixing in the studio. I don’t know. Either way, they nailed it.)
The production quality on “Dopeman” is strong, although, in a weird way, it sounds soft. I would have liked it to have more impact the way that Love Ghost’s heavier songs do – maybe I’m just used to that from them, but the lyrics seemed to cry out for more energy than the track was delivering. Never mind that though – all the production is clean and polished and doesn’t detract from the song. This is more of a personal taste note than anything.
Overall, “Dopeman” is a strong addition to Love Ghost’s discography. It showcases their characteristic ability to blend genres and collaborate cross-culturally. Like many of their songs, I’m sure this would go over extremely well in a live setting. And like all their songs, “Dopeman” continues to solidify Love Ghost’s position within the post-emo universe they’ve chosen to inhabit.
Listen to "Dopeman" on Spotify here -
You can check out Love Ghost’s website here:
A brilliant addition to the repertoire -
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