Only Child “Holy Ghosts”

A resurrection from the haunting ghosts.

Alan O’Hare has produced critically acclaimed music as the band Only Child for over a decade. Recorded at the Crosstown Studios in Liverpool and produced by studio owner Jon Lawton, O’Hare and the band have created a fine set of songs on this latest release “Holy Ghosts”.

There are songs of love and loss, sometimes sad but always with hope. For anyone who has lost someone close, this could be a therapeutic outlet to ease the pain, give way to tears of joy, and bring a smile of recognition to your face as you follow along with O’Hare’s own experience.

“Holy Ghosts” begins with “That Fateful Day”, a stirring string section-led rocker that sparks the whole collection into life. The well-phrased lyrics leave us no doubt about what has happened, as O’Hare sings, “A thunderstorm passed away / Just like you did on that fateful day.”

Hope and some form of clarity are formed on “The Visit”. It is a charming acoustic, introspective look at death, which is so comforting. As the Counting Crows once sang on ‘Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby’, “If dreams are like movies, then memories are films about ghosts” – O’Hare takes comfort from a dream visit from his lost loved ones. They sit in the chair saying everything will be alright. Mirages like this can seem so real, calming, and occasionally disturbing, but they are an opportunity to converse within your mind with someone who is no longer here. Those people are still inside us as memories and experiences.

‘Different Times’ is another gorgeous guitar-led piece lamenting a time, as the lyrics say, “when God ruled all our lives.” The song places us at a time of sadness, but with love all around. O’Hare captures that moment when no one wants to intrude on someone’s grief but needs to be there. O’Hare uses the title of Only Child’s 2022 compilation album for the track ‘Looking Forward to Looking Back’. It is lyrically thought-provoking, and once the fiddle joins the tune, the music becoming as haunting as the subject matter. It plays throughout, beautifully carrying the tune.

“I Remember You” takes us back to the schoolyard and early friendship. It laments how an early meeting can develop into something special and how moments, good and bad, are shared. The writing is sharp. It begins on the first day of school, then a first fight, and somehow ends up at the Hollywood Bowl. The record closes with ‘Brand New Shoes,’ which perfectly rounds things off with fluttering flute and stunning percussion as O’Hare sings “First time that I saw you / I knew we’d met before / Walking ancient avenues / In brand new shoes / To be born again.”

If there is a Liverpool sound, you could begin with Ian Prowse. O’Hare and this project are along similar lines. Although the subject matter can feel dark at times, O’Hare’s writing brings death back to life and reminds us that loved ones live within us. Although there is finality to it all, memories hold the key.