Brady Lasher ’26

COLUMNIST

Throughout the first half of the decade, Jane Remover has risen through the ranks of the hyperpop/digicore genres to make a name for herself amongst the most talented indie artists of the generation. On her most recent album, Ghostholding, which was released under the alias venturing, Remover builds on the distorted, murky sounds of her 2023 album Census Designated.

While I felt that Census Designated was a bit too sparse in instrumentation, Ghostholding is rife with rich sonic atmospheres. The album opens with “Play My Guitar.” Although the instrumentation is sparse on this track, it’s done tastefully, and once the riff comes in, the track provides the overarching sonic thesis of the record sublimely with heavy guitars and strained vocals. These heavy guitars and dense kick drums combine on “No sleep,” and “Believe” features more great vocal work. “Guesthouse” is slow and calm, and the chorus is one of the best written and catchiest on the record. “Spider” starts slow as well, but quickly adds tension with an impenetrable wall of sound before building to a climax with a wave of washed-out vocals and even heavier chords. The following track, “Recoil,” breathes life into the melancholic tracklist. The song comes out the gate strong, and the guitar builds up throughout the track. The chorus bangs, and the bridge is infectious as well. “Recoil” is definitely my favorite track on the record, and is reminiscent of late 90s midwest emo. “Something has to change” brings a quick tempo, and Remover’s vocals shine over the gritty guitars. “Dead forever” turns up the grit even higher, before mellowing out through the verses and building back towards the climax. “We don’t exist” dives back into the emo sound vocally, and this track along with “Sick / relapse” continue the overall atmosphere of the tracklist. While they are solid compositions, these tracks don’t command attention like the album’s strongest moments. “Famous Girl” sees Remover grapple with fame over an energetic, bouncy instrumental, and “Halloween” and “Sister” end the record on a bittersweet note.

Although the record may be slow at times, the instrumentation overall is lush, and Remover’s writing shines throughout. Ghostholding was my favorite record of February, and I’m very excited for Remover’s upcoming album Revengeseekerz which should be released later this year.