Voodoo Bloo, a New Zealand rock band, releases their 12-track sophomore effort, “The Blessed Ghost.” The Wellington-based Rock group is back with their most ambitious offering yet, following the success of their debut album “Jacobus” and a string of single releases that garnered plaudits in both hemispheres.
The Blessed Ghost focuses on issues of self-discovery, romantic relationships, and facing your own demons via the lens of a fictional figure who serves as a vice for the band’s own personal experiences. Frontman Rory McDonald provides more details.“As the writing progressed I realized something quite odd. This fictional person was just everything that I did not like about myself, in all ways shapes, and forms I’d started to write about my own demons and they were glaring at me, and that’s when I finally figured out what The Blessed Ghost was,”.
The Blessed Ghost, a collection of songs that spans from hard-hitting Alt-Rock to pounding Indie-Rock with a dash of Grunge for good measure, demonstrates the band’s diversity as they continue to refine their style. Small, We’re Here, Love Is Somewhere Else, and Default was previously released as singles, with Pursuit serving as the standout song and serving as the album’s lead single. Rory describes “Pursuit” as “One of the most grandiose tracks we’ve ever recorded, I think the soundscapes that we try to take you through for the six minutes of ‘Pursuit’ is really a testament to how far we’ve come from the first record.”
“This song represents how your dreams can turn into nightmares if you spend too long in the clouds.”
Each song on The Blessed Ghost demonstrates a different aspect of the band while showcasing the breadth of their musical catalog. Rory, who was born and raised in Sheffield, UK, before moving to New Zealand, draws inspiration from the city’s burgeoning music culture, fusing it with New Zealand’s alternative scene to create his own unique sound.
