The Besnard Lakes have always functioned less like a traditional rock band and more like a shifting weather pattern. On ‘Are the Ghost Nation,’ these Montreal psych-gaze architects refine their ability to manufacture vast, artificial horizons that feel more substantial than the physical world. The album capitalizes on the tension between the terrestrial and the spectral, suggesting that this titular nation isn’t a place we inhabit after death, but a frequency we occupy while we are still very much alive.
While contemporaries in the shoegaze sphere often focus on the intimate flicker of a candle, the Besnard Lakes are more interested in the roar of a sun going supernova. Their work carries a gentle kind of heaviness that sets them apart from more abrasive, fuzz-drenched traditionalists. This expansive sound is a direct product of their habitat at Breakglass Studios, where Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas utilize vintage analog consoles to capture cavernous drums and guitars that shimmer and decay like light hitting a prism.
The intelligence of the record lies in how the players function as a single, breathing organism. Lasek’s signature falsetto provides a celestial upper layer, while Goreas acts as the melodic heartbeat, her steady bass lines providing the necessary gravity for the band’s more experimental flights. In moments like the opening movement of “Calling Ghostly Nations,” their harmonies shimmer like distinct layers of frost, creating a psychedelic experience that relies on atmosphere rather than the usual motifs of the genre.
This sonic density is often underpinned by a recurring fascination with Cold War imagery, specifically the cryptic world of spies and shortwave radio. For the Besnard Lakes, the spy is a figure of ultimate isolation. On ‘Are the Ghost Nation,’ this translates into a sense of community under siege and the “death of nations,” where the threat of becoming a “51st state” lingers in the background. The music often mimics this paranoia through its use of warped electronic textures and spectral harmonies that feel like intercepted transmissions from a forgotten era.
Tracing the evolution of their songwriting reveals a journey from the more grounded, indie-rock foundations of their debut toward an increasingly symphonic and long-form philosophy. In their earlier ‘…Dark Horse’ (Jagjaguwar, 2007) era, the band utilized a more direct, almost cinematic rock energy to bridge the gap between pop sensibilities and psychedelic exploration. As they progressed through records like ‘The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night’ (Jagjaguwar, 2010), the song structures grew more sprawling and ambitious, eventually culminating in the sheer grandeur of their recent ‘Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings’ (Full Time Hobby, 2021) period. ‘Are the Ghost Nation’ represents a refinement of this trajectory; it retains the monolithic scale of their mid-career work but introduces a newfound sense of restraint and melodic clarity that makes the compositions feel more personal and immediate.
The record moves with a deliberate, tidal energy. On “Chemin de la Baie,” the group blends these warped textures with a pastoral cadence, proving they can find beauty in the static. This contrasts sharply with the rumbles of “In Hollywood,” where Gabriel Lambert’s guitar work navigates complex shifts to add a jagged edge to the fluid textures. Beneath it all, Kevin Laing’s drumming chops and Sheenah Ko’s keyboard wizardry fill the gaps between the roaring guitars, ensuring the soundscape feels fully inhabited.
‘Are the Ghost Nation’ feels like a transmission from a lost radio station. It captures a state of permanent twilight where the distinction between memory and reality blurs into a single, sustained note. It is an album that demands you sit still long enough for the shadows to move, proving that the most profound hauntings are the ones we orchestrate for ourselves through sound.
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