Originally Published on September 16th, 2025
Good Days to Come by Black River Ghost
It is mid-September, people! Leaves are starting to change and there are exactly two weeks before we enter the last quarter of the year. Sure, it’s 90 degrees out there still, here in Nashville, but I can’t help the fact that nobody listens to Greta. Can we break out the flannel? Can we start the fall baking? Can we PLEASE start jamming on the folk?
If I have anything to say about it, the answer is yes. The first artist I pressed play on this fine day, one Black River Ghost, are an excellent group to start out with. With a sound that feels deeply rooted in the heart of the Appalachia Mountains, one would actually need to make their way to Helsinki, Finland to find this group of six folk rockers.
Founded in 2022, they debuted in July of that year with the release of their 5-song EP Blues, Leave My Heart. Their traditional roots sound, with a dash of bluegrass and folk music peppered in, the mixture of structured verse and jam-session music immediately catches the ear. Particularly, the song (Would You Catch Me) If I fell. The mandolin and fiddle play so well off of each other and the bridge features a combination of solos that truly impress.
There have been three more singles released since Blues, Leave my Heart. In April of 2024, Black River Ghost released a lovely slow groove in Fire of Love. Their authentic blend of diversified roots music has, not only shown a potential for, but a proven passion to further solidify the reemergence of the folk genre. Listening to their catalog will have any indie folk lover eager to hear more and thankfully, they won’t have to wait too much longer.
About the Song
Good Days to Come is the first release by Black River Ghost in 2025 and it is the first single from their upcoming EP, Homeless Hearts and Wandering Minds. Releasing on June 20th, it runs at more than 3 minutes. Good Days to Come is mid-to-uptempo and, as accustomed to the Black River Ghost Sound is, features a balanced mixture of structured verse/chorus performance, with instrumental breaks featuring soloists on different instruments. The percussion locks in the tempo in a very deliberate, structured manner that makes it integral to the entire piece.
The warm, positive vibes of this song pulsate throughout from start to finish, leaving it impossible for the listener not to feel an immersive, joyful reaction to the music. The bright and energetic vocals compound this feeling, as lead singer Pekko Manzin assures their listeners that good days are indeed to come.
Listen to Black River Ghost Here on Spotify
As exciting as it was when the digital age introduced a plethora of new directions, none were more exciting than when artists embodied the fusing elements of raw organics with new digital sounds. This can be traced all the way back to the 80’s, and was truly mastered by Nine Inch Nails in the 90’s. You may have heard of them. If not, get ready for their upcoming album drop, as they provided new music for the upcoming Tron Film and their album releases this Friday.
From the revolutionary sounds of NIN, there have been many inspired sounds, styles, and genres. Their influence has changed the direction of techno, dance music, pop, and even alternative, metal, and other rock genres. Indie artists have also taken the origins of that sound and adapted it into captivating new music that is all their own.
One such artist, Januarius, has crafted well structured, cohesive, hybrid performance between the digital and organic landscapes. Pulling from an eclectic mix of influential juggernauts such as Iggy Pop and Sonic Youth, the Philadelphia indie artist has bridged vintage with contemporary. Debuting with 3 singles in 2024, Januarius has started strong and offers great potential with his upcoming releases.
About the Album
Glass Eyes, Glass Ghosts is the debut album of Philly-based independent artist, Januarius. It released on March 28th, 2025. At 9 songs, Glass Eyes, Glass Ghosts has a run time of 45 minutes. It features 3 previously released singles; A Wishbone in the Rye, Rave On, and Strange Illusions. Glass Eyes, Glass Ghosts is independently written, recorded, and produced by Steven Scarlata.
Much of GE,GG has touches of key elements of 80’s synth rock. The programmed percussion, the fixed bass, and the reverb that heavily saturates the vocals. In the title track, Januarius gives his listeners a great example to reference.
The fusion blends heavy, layered guitars that provide the more contemporary hard rock elements, and adding a new dynamic to the sound. In Strange Illusion, Januarius opens with heavy synths and programmed percussions, but at around the one minute mark, the filtered distorted guitar comes in, changing the dynamics again. The fusion of the two sounds is very special, and it brings a cohesive energy that does not have much to compare to.
GE,GG closes with a reprise of the song Fragments, but just before it, he offers up what I think is the best song on the album. Unlike most of the rest of the album, Burn the Poison offers the same fused genre sound but instead of the grunge rock sound leaning into the synth heavy foundation, it is the other way around. the synths rely on a dark and powerful foundation of the hard rock and grunge elements of Januarius’ music.
Overall, Januarius has given a strong performance for a debut album. The compositions are quality, the performance is sound, and the vocals are just the right tone for the style. On the production side, I enjoy most everything that’s been done as well. If I could suggest one note, the only thing I would have advised to do differently, is the vocals are somewhat buried in the mix. I’ve personally done this myself because I’ve had times where I’ve felt insecure about how I sound on the particular song or songs I was singing. From an objective standpoint, if that is the reason this was done, then I would say it is ok to ride those levels a bit more confidently. Januarius’ voice carries. The reverb could even pull back slightly to give the vocals more of a center stage, but I also think that it works stylistically to keep the verb where it is too. Just a small criticism I would hope would be taken in for its intent, which is to be constructive. Otherwise, I wouldn’t touch a dial!
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