VH X RR - A Sky Full of Ghosts
By Reese Rowe
When you look up at the stars in the night sky, you are actually looking into the past. Much of the starlight you see started its journey to Earth long before you ever existed. Looking towards the future while examining the past is what A Sky Full of Ghosts, the latest EP from electronic duo VH x RR explores.
As a follow up and companion piece to their 2020 debut EP, The Persistence of Memory (Lakeshore Records), A Sky Full of Ghosts also takes its name from an episode of the documentary television series Cosmos. Built off themes from the series, the five new songs tell stories of the past, the present, and the future, that manage to be both universal and intimate.
In "Somewhere in Time,” our protagonist is failed by the present and nostalgia but finds comfort in the idea that in another time or in a parallel reality, they are living their best life.
“The Speed of Light” looks to the future when Earth has descended into environmental chaos and the journey in search of a new home begins. Rowe’s bleak, dystopian lyrics are beautifully balanced by Hertzog’s uplifting production, creating a sense of hope for the listener.
Hertzog says, “The Speed of Light went through many transformations before arriving in its final form. After Rob sent me his vocals, I realized the verses needed a more gentle balance to convey the aspirational love element. I added airy strings in the verses, with the music beginning to intensify before the chorus finally crashes in a frenzy. And finally, the fortissimo ending, which for me sets the scene: you’re in the cabin of your craft, hurtling through space, tears streaming down your cheeks, hopeful for the future, traveling at The Speed of Light."
Tracks “Silent Eyes” and “Rumours” examine human nature and past relationships with a fly on the wall view.
The EP closes with the epic title track “A Sky Full of Ghosts” celebrating the heavenly time machine that humans have looked up to in wonder since the dawn of time. Some ancient tribes believed that stars were the ghosts of their ancestors, and it was this idea that helped Rowe find a more personal side to a song filled with scientific theory.
“As fascinated as Von and I are about space science, I didn’t want the song to simply be about stars” says Rowe, “I also wanted it to be a tribute to the people in our lives that we’ve lost. Von lost his Dad in 2013, I lost mine in 2018, and next year is the 30th anniversary of Sean Rowley’s death. They were all very much in my thoughts while writing the lyrics, and the piano melody is a musical tribute to Sean.”
With the release of A Sky Full of Ghosts, VH x RR have sent a set of deep and personal songs out into the universe. The EP displays growing maturity in songwriting and production, and showcases the progress of two artists on their path as long-distance collaborators. Fans of their previous work, or any fans of all things synth, will love this EP.
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About VH x RR
VH x RR was founded in 2016 by Kent “Von” Hertzog and Rob Rowe after a meeting set in motion by an intelligent machine known as Google Music’s algorithm.
Hertzog was working on a track with INFORMATION SOCIETY (2018’s “Nothing Prevails”) and his own synthwave-adjacent material for his VON HERTZOG project. He was listening to INSOC when the algorithm recommended CAUSE & EFFECT’s major label debut album, Another Minute.
“I instantly fell in love,” Hertzog says. “Rob’s voice was sublime and the melodies he chose… it all felt like it spoke directly to me.”
Hertzog reached out to Rowe on Twitter and essentially cold-called him to see if they could work together. They got along well, realizing that their lives had a lot of parallels—both were working for themselves in the ad world and both had in-home studios that allowed them to quickly sketch ideas and share them remotely.
Since the initial virtual meeting, the duo have developed a process for collaborating. Von Hertzog sends an initial musical idea to Rowe who then writes the lyrics and vocal melodies. Scratch vocals are recorded and then sent back to Hertzog. The pair then bounce ideas back and forth until the arrangement is complete. While Hertzog refines the production and shapes the song’s sound and texture, Rowe records final vocals which are then dropped into the mix.
“Working in separate studios gives us the advantage of being able to work simultaneously on different elements of the song. Once the structure is worked out, things come together really quickly.” says Rowe.
VH x RR are currently working on their third EP due out some time in 2021. For more info, visit vhxrr.bandcamp.com