Hailing from the Second City, Miles Maxwell formed in 2017 when guitarist and songwriter Miles Baltrusaitis had enough of covering others people’s music and went on a musical frenzy. It was this songwriting flurry and a couple of chance encounters that led to the forming of the band and the recording of Red Ghost. Inspired by heartbreak and living a life that was slowly but surely spinning out of control, Red Ghost is an album that talks about some of life’s most significant struggles. An emotionally matured Baltrusaitis poured his heart and soul into the record, forging his feelings into some of the most intensely sincere lyrics in recent memory. It’s this brutal honesty that makes it so easy to be empathetic and to feel the emotion behind the songs.
The first standout track of the album is “She Says (Whiskey Down at 4 am.)” The song tells the tale of two friends in separate relationships finally discussing their unspoken feelings for each other. The song opens with the woman confronting the man over a shot of whiskey, asking him. “What’s this I hear about you having a crush on me?” Astonished the man replied, “You impress me, make me nervous.” It’s this dialogue between the pair from the perspective of a third party that allows the song to play out like a movie in your head. The twanging guitar and funky bass line, along with Baltrusaitis’s Bob Dylan-esque delivery create an image of two people, most likely in their early thirties sitting at the bar of some dive in Chicago talking about life. At the end of the song, the two decide that they are better off remaining friends and nothing more, and walk away with closure. The track is an excellent example of storytelling in music, being both vague enough to allow the listener to insert themselves into the song, but descriptive enough to paint a picture.
The final, and title track of the album is the culmination of the twenty-five or-so minute emotional rollercoaster that is Red Ghost. It’s a melancholy song about Baltrusaitis reflecting on his failed relationship, coming to terms with the mistakes he made, and coping with the loss of love. He personifies this pain as a “red ghost.” Throughout the song, he confesses that he should have known he was steadily pushing his significant other away, and in the wake of the destruction of what was a very messy and vicious breakup, they left a trail of victims in the forms of their loved ones with which they now have to make amends. Anyone who has ever experience the tragedy of heartbreak will instantly be able to draw comparisons to their own lives and will sympathize and empathize with the narrator. Life is hard, and we’re only human. We make mistakes and have to live with our decisions for better or for worse. This tale of love and loss is a perfect example of this and is and is telling of Baltrusaitis’s mastery of creating a relatable story through his lyrics.
Miles Maxwell’s freshman effort, Red Ghost is not only a collection of nine beautiful songs that are relatable to everyone but an enthralling journey through songwriter and frontman Miles Baltrusaitis’s psyche as he copes with heartache. It’s a masterpiece of musical storytelling that shows honest growth as a person both in maturity level and emotionally. Baltrusaitis is a gifted lyricist with the ability to channel his pain and anguish into something refined and relatable and makes for an excellent first full-length album.
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