Grungy and gritty, melodic and lush - Ghoul Talk’s Magician is a noble self-released debut and marriage of opposite worlds. Part indie noise rock, part synth pop, Magician is a séance of moody vocal harmonies, shimmering synths and chaotic fuzz. Though Magician’s arrangements swell and burst, there’s a structure to it - and where you start is not where you end. 

At first entrance, Magician is a dark room with the shades drawn. As “Migraine/Headache" - a sludgy tribute to '90s rock, chronic pain and dangerous doses of acetaminophen - culminates to a thick, gluey guitar solo embellished with French horns and glockenspiel, any expectation of full-on grunge gives way to an ecstatic burst of synthesizers with the opening of synth-rock banger “Materialize.”

One roaring guitar solo and surprising string quartet later, Magician finds its soft, sweet ending with the aptly-named “Sleeper”, a shoegaze pop ballad steeped in a haze of lead guitar harmonies and reverberating drums. Sleeper's unexpected dreaminess highlights Magician’s greatest trick: Ghoul Talk's dynamic songwriting and ability to set expectations, only to reveal there’s more behind the curtain.