Four, the fourth album by Crumbling Ghost, offers a unique fusion of British traditional folk, stoner rock, psychedelia, and doom. Often compared to a meeting between Fairport Convention and Sonic Youth, the band revisits folk songs without superficial folklore or occult imagery, favoring raw emotion and popular tales. The album explores universal themes such as love, jealousy, betrayal, death, and oppression through murderous ballads, supernatural legends, and stories of ordinary lives. Singer Katie Harnett delivers a performance that is both melodic and biting, while the massive, saturated guitars envelop the tracks in a hypnotic atmosphere.
Highlights include Bows of London, a dark tale of sisterly rivalry, Bill Norrie, a family tragedy tinged with psychedelia, Lovely Joan, a story of female emancipation, and The Unquiet Grave, a melancholic conclusion on grief and lost love. The original track Last Of All Sleep also stands out for its blend of shoegaze, folk, and psychedelic grunge. Produced by Wayne Adams, Four is a dense and immersive album that demonstrates that the horror and beauty of folklore reside above all in the songs themselves. In just seven tracks, Crumbling Ghost manages to create seven fascinating universes where ancient traditions and the power of heavy rock meet with rare authenticity.