December 23rd, 2013 
Drew Caruso 
It is fitting that my first album premiere at UTG is with a band that I have never heard before until now. We are both exchanging experiences together that will couple in our artistic achievement and merit, and I thank Oxnard, California’s Living Ghosts for that. The band’s newest EP, The Thought of Giving Up, invokes much existential thought, founded by a background of grungy chords, filled in a lush musical environment. Yielding a hybrid of Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate), Citizen, and Old Gray, the band creates a window of experiences through musical variation.
“This album to me is basically an audible version of my thoughts and experiences with finding love,” says Ray Bolado (bass guitar/vocals) on the January 1, 2014 digital release. Formerly of melodic hardcore band HRBRS, Bolado continues to devise the skeleton of the release, “I disconnected not only from myself; I slowly cut ties with those I’ve connected with in the past two years. I actually feel in tune with my emotions, my soul—In my eyes, it’s a breath of fresh air. I find myself being able to rid this depressive mess that lingers in my head from time to time with the help of these songs.”
Featuring guest vocals from friend and solo artist Jazzmine Brazil, the band, attuned to Bolado’s words, are able to create such an escape for the darker, lingering thoughts of our psychological crevices. Each track emitting more of an emotional purging than before, the rawness, and innocence is clearly earned.
Check out the band’s Facebook, Twitter, and Bandcamp.
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