Mary

Since I discovered Mallory Merk via her collaboration with Rico Nasty and Bali Baby on ‘Iggady’ I was pleasantly surprised to find this **very different** solo track. Rico Nasty and Bali Baby are female rappers in their early 20’s who sorta do this trap rap thing with unapologetic aggressive yet silly bubblegum lyrics that I’m obsessed with. Rico Nasty’s ‘Smack a Bitch’ is a great example of what I love yet am hesitant to show others. Anyway, Mallory’s ‘Ghosts’ is quite the departure and, frankly, a lot safer for presentation. And I love it and her as a downtrodden passionate songbird. This song reminds me of Demi Lovato’s ‘Skyscraper’ but without the phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes quality (read: it's not a ballad). It shows potential direction for this up and coming musician...excited to see where she goes.

Greg

Mallory Merk delivers a stripped down Selena Gomezesque commentary on the conversations we have with ourselves. It’s a classic “why I ought’ve” moment of the prideful moves we wish would’ve made or things we should’ve said during a breakup. Merk’s ability to paint a picture of a smoky, crowded apartment of friends compliments her soft approach to the intimacy of the subject matter at hand. I also recognized and appreciated the humorous take of dating (presumably) in NYC and the subsequent financial complexities of moving into an apartment only you BOTH can afford together…”If it wasn’t for the money, I know you would’ve probably left me”...we’ve been there Mallory, and we feel you.

Though I didn’t quite receive the crescendoing uprising I was hoping for towards the end of the song, it was an overall lovely introduction to Mallory Merk–looking forward to hearing more from her.

Dillon

Haunting melody, heartfelt lyrics, and a mournful soulful performance from Mallory Merk makes “Ghosts” a special single. This song is reminiscent of the understated desperate gasps of passion in a fading relationship and draws some parallels with sounds of acts like Mazzy Star and Beabadoobee. Mallory’s voice draws you into the quiet of a small low-lit room, a room that she completely takes over. On “Ghosts” Mallory’s strengths as a vocalist really shine through. She’s able to create this powerful intimacy, and I love it.

Look, I have to relate it to something a bit more in my wheelhouse, with the Mazzy Star reference, but what can I say. Take the next bit with a grain of salt as it’s heavily weighted toward my personal tastes. But, from sampling some of Mallory’s other work, the dressed down guitar-focused backing arrangement on “Ghosts” which compliments her voice so nicely appears to be a bit of an outlier. Which I think is a shame because I really liked what she was able to do here. Hope to see more like this from her in the future.

Sean

What a terrific coincidence I just watched about two hours of ghost television shows on the travel channel. “Ghosts” is a welcome addition to the ever growing resurgence of the slow strumming gut punching 90’s singer songwriter sound. The song paints a clear narrative of a relationship that is existing past its expiration. Pop the track on if you need something to kick a can around to.