17. March 2025
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Media Review

Albert af Ekenstam – Ghost in Us

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Albert af Ekenstam - Ghost in Us

Albert af Ekenstam - Ghost in Us
4.3

Rating

 4.3/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very nice and sensitive songwriting
  • Nice melodic flows and dramatic plots

It is quite a while ago since there have been major releases by Swedish artist Albert af Ekenstam. His last album Ashes is dated as of 2016, his most recent EP Hundred Miles has been released two years later. On 14th March 2024, he is back with a new album, Ghost of Us. I had a listen.

 

Albert af Ekenstam – About The Artists

Albert af Ekenstam is a Swedish post-rock artist, who is typically recording atmospheric, introspective indie sounds. He is originally from Gothenburg, but nowadays lives in Stockholm. Ashes has been Albert’s debut album. The song Made of Gold has been streamed over four million times. Before the album release, he also had a successful single with Angel Liz (2016). The first song release after the EP Hundred Miles has been the title track of his 2025, which has been released in November 2025.

 

Albert af Ekenstam – Ghost in Us – Track by Track

The ten track album lasts 44 minutes.

1. Lily

The album starts with two tracks, which have been released beforehand. The first one is Lily, a slow and melancholic track. The quiet, dreaming atmosphere leads to a very special mood at the beginning of the album. Especially the first half of it almost comes with a meditative feeling.

 

2. Echoes From The Past

Albert af Ekenstam works a lot with instrumental atmosphere. The second song, Echoes From The Past, just comes with twelve lines in the lyrics sheet, but lasts five minutes. The song as a very gentle touch as well. However, for the chorus, the song increases its volume and presence significantly. The final lyrics are a beauty: We found peace, peace at last, as the moments rush by fast, where I found you, I found me. Sometimes, you don’t need many words to send strong messages.

 

3. Sleep Like A Child

Your hazy eyes, searching for
The wind and the clouds
Birds in the night, will show you
the skies and the lights

The next song is Sleep Like A Child. The style of the track reminds of the opener, having a slow melody with a rather limited range of notes and instruments, which does not lack intensity on the other side. The first three songs underline strong songwriting skills and a lovely touch to turn stories and melodies into impressing music.

4. Ghost In Us

Next, there is the title track of the album, which is another five minute epic. In the order of the album, it is also the last track which the Swedish artist already has released. Again, a very stripped down record, which is spreading magic exactly by that characteristic. I really like it.

 

5. Killers On The Run

Nowadays mainstream music listeners might likely press the skip button here after one minute latest. The theme of Killers On The Run has not been developed too much yet – the lyric side incepts after 90 seconds anyway. You need to be patient and actively listen and consume the music the artist has written. Otherwise, you won’t get in touch with its beauty. At the point where modern songs already come to an end, Albert af Ekenstam hasn’t even brought up the chorus’ phrase Killers On The Run for the first time. Due to the very limited usage of electronic and percussion sounds, the song even feels comparably “handmade”.

6. Tempel

Tempel starts with helicopter-alike sounds, which feel taking you into another sphere of music. Especially compared to Killers on The Run before, the sound range of this one feels comparably rich. The song has flavors of lounge music. This time, Albert af Ekenstam even skips the usage of vocals completely. His music still works absolutely fine in this setting.

7. Let You Go

Ghost In Us introduces vocal parts again in its seventh song, Let You Go. The strumming guitar style even adds a bit of a folk music spirit. Compared to other songs in here, the seventh listen feels rather rich on the vocal side. With or without him on the microphone – the Swede seems to be able to create catching listens.

8. Lost In Darkness

I lost you in your darkness
Drag you in there struggling mind
I saw the world true your eyes
Its sad when they can’t reach there heart
Steel yours, and they feed on it
And your shadow disappears
You didn’t care to kiss

In regards of the volume of lyrics, Lost in Darkness is one of the richest tracks on Ghost In Us. The song has a rather dark and sad  mood, suiting to the story of the track. I like that, as it leads to a deep and intense feeling.

9. Beat As One

The penultimate Beat As One is also the longest song on Ghost In Us. With rather present guitar chords and a female backing vocalist, the song has a nice character and comes with a beautifully flowing

10. Snowflake

The instrumental track Snowflake closes the album. The song definitely comes with one of the most beautiful melodies of Ghost In Us. A lovely way of taking a step away from its musical spheres.

 

Albert af Ekenstam – Ghost in Us – Spotify

I will add the Spotify widget once the album has been released.

 

Albert af Ekenstam – Ghost in Us – My View

Ghost In Us is a beautifully written album. I especially like the two instrumental tracks, as they illustrate the magic and energy Albert af Ekenstam is already able to deliver from that part of his songs. Overall, the simplistic, but precise style of the album is impressing. Not suitable for mainstream listeners, but a real beauty, indeed.

Favorite Song: Snowflake

 

Albert af Ekenstam – Ghost in Us Tour 2025

The Swedish artist is coming to Germany for four shows:

Tu 01.04.2025 Hamburg (Germany) – Zardoz
We 02.04.2025 Bremen – Hot Shot
Fr 04.04.2025 Berlin – Rough Trade
Sa 05.04.2025 Hanover – 25 Music

 

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