I’m getting pretty familiar with Love Ghost’s discography at this point and I’ve gotta say, I’m quite pleased with what they’ve done on “Human Error 404.” I think this newest single encapsulates everything that they’ve done well up to this point without resorting to any gimmicks like shocking lyrics or compromising themselves as a band. With “Human Error 404,” Love Ghost is very firmly entrenched in the emo-trap genre and may well be on the way to becoming a heavyweight of the style. Time will tell.
In the interim, “Human Error 404” bears discussion. As I mentioned, this song, with vocals by both frontman Finnegan Bell and collaborating artist Ritorukai, is the very essence of an emo-trap song. As with several other entries in Love Ghost’s discography, “Human Error 404” also stands out with its seamless incorporation of both English and Spanish lyrics – a compelling juxtaposition.
“Human Error 404” is, at its core, a 2000s emo song – a piece of music from a sonic world where heavy, sludgy guitar riffs dominate. Bell’s vocals in particular emphasize this influence, with a disaffected, drawn-out lyrical delivery reminiscent of many an emo frontman from days gone by. This is an exciting contrast with Ritorukai’s intense scream-rapping, which sounds much more contemporary and – accompanied by modern trap instrumentation in his sections – reminds us that we are, in fact, listening to a release from 2023. Nonetheless, the alternation of trap and rock instrumentation builds a brooding atmosphere perfect for the style Love Ghost has on lock.
Lyrically, the song delves into themes of inner turmoil – familiar ground for both Love Ghost and the genre at large, but an endless well to draw from. “Weightless, I am floating / Watching the sky turn read / I want to find a place where I can be in my head” is a textbook piece of emo lyricism. I do not speak Spanish well enough to parse Ritorukai’s lyrics, but just based on the delivery alone I’m willing to give him props for contributing meaningfully and powerfully to the song.
I’m quite happy with the instrumentation Love Ghost has gone with on “Human Error 404.” They’ve brought back the guitars I missed on their last release, “Snap,” and the aforementioned alternating trap and rock instrumentation is done tastefully and, dare I say, masterfully. The production is also very on-point. I guess we used to say “radio-ready,” but these days the best I can do is, “I wouldn’t hit skip if this came up in a playlist on Spotify.” Kudos, guys.
To sum things up – “Human Error 404” Is a very solid emo-trap song. Is it a catchy hit? Maybe not, but in an era where moods are increasingly more important than hooks, I’m not even sure that matters. What does matter is that this group is following well in the footsteps of their genre’s late luminaries such as Lil Peep and XXXTentacion and – as their numbers on Spotify and YouTube suggest – are certainly finding an audience doing so.
Listen to "Human Error 404" on Spotify here -
You can check out Love Ghost’s website here:
A brilliant addition to the repertoire -
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