RISE make absence feel almost tangible on new single 'Talking To Your Ghost Again'

'Talking To Your Ghost Again' is one of those songs where the title tells you almost everything about the emotional territory before a note is played. Written by Paul Kinley after the death of his twin brother and the band's original singer Steve Kinley, the song focuses on the strange persistence of someone after they're gone: the memories, the imagined conversations, and the sense that absence can still occupy a room.

stayMellow's vocal performance is central to it. There's real emotional range in the delivery, but what works especially well is the way the harmonies have been kept prominent in the mix. They add a sense of collective feeling, almost as though the song is carrying more than one voice through the grief.

RISE lean more heavily into their progressive-rock side here, with Brian Petch's guitar work given plenty of space and the twin 12-string parts adding detail and colour. The sound is rich without becoming overblown, allowing the musicianship to deepen the mood rather than distract from it.

A song about losing someone this close could easily collapse under too much sentiment or too much production, but 'Talking To Your Ghost Again' avoids both. The track feels carefully shaped, with each element serving the emotion at every turn.

Recorded at Whitewood Studios in Liverpool and produced by Rob Whiteley with Paul Kinley, the single also reflects the consistency RISE have built into their sound over years of working together. Guitars, synths, harmonies and melody all remain recognisably theirs, even as the subject matter pushes the band into a more vulnerable space.