Reviewed by Jonathan Langley

Emo, the genre that is punk's most melodramatic offspring, has a new loyal son and its name is Sullivan. 'Hey, I'm A Ghost', Sullivan's major distribution debut, is so emo it hurts. Characteristic melodic (yet tortured) vocals, rhythm-focused staccato guitars and wall-of-sound crescendos make this album an almost textbook example of the genre. But derivative it is not. Songs like "Ten Ways To Impress" and the title track actually blow a lot of My Chemical Romance or Bullet For My Valentine tracks out of the water in terms of song dynamics and angst-ridden impassioned lyrics. Unfortunately, many of the other tracks lack those hooks and standout originality and can sound a little samey, but the album grows on you. Every time I hear it I add another song to my list of great tracks on this album. Harder than labelmates Anberlin, but not as catchy, Sullivan are perfect for confirmed emo fans and worth playing to your non-Christian emo friends too, but I suspect their next album will be more interesting and more focused than this one. Assuming that they have not, in true emo fashion, split up amidst heartache and acrimony.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.