Chalked Steps from Lantern Lilt by Ghastwick

This track traces the unease of learning a new cadence, a tension we always chase in Ghastwick. The melodic techno structure, settling around 126 BPM, allows for a constant push and pull against the hauntological elements. It’s an exploration of how resistance finds its own rhythm; those off-kilter pump-organ stabs and the slow side-gated bass create a breathing friction, almost like a hesitant intake of breath. The detuned celesta motif opens it, immediately disorienting, setting up that 3/4 waltz battling the 4/4 grid. This struggle mirrors a feeling close to us, the awkwardness of adjusting to an unfamiliar space, a new step in an old, familiar ballroom. Midway, the arrangement shifts, pulling back for a brief quiet. A solo of keys on bricks and floorboard creaks takes over, a raw, percussive moment that highlights the foley work, making memory almost tactile. Then the arps widen, folding back in with bowed vibraphone shimmer and corridor footsteps, adding a stark depth. The entire piece aims to capture that fleeting moment when apprehension gives way, not to comfort, but to a kind of reluctant, perhaps even nervous, choreography.

Old waltzes, a ghost of rhythm. Footsteps scrape, a chill finds your bones. A quiet, patient waiting.