BoyWithUke Announces New Album Burnout, Breaks Down Origins of “Ghost”: Exclusive

The post BoyWithUke Announces New Album Burnout, Breaks Down Origins of “Ghost”: Exclusive appeared first on Consequence .

Welcome back to Origins , our recurring series that gives artists a space to break down everything that went into their latest release. Today, BoyWithUke provides insight into his new single, “Ghost.”

BoyWithUke has announced his new album, Burnout , arriving November 8th via AWAL Recordings — and the mask is officially off. For the artist born Charley Yang, the full-length project is an opportunity to introduce listeners to his most authentic self.

Burnout serves as a sendoff for the initial masked persona that was a huge part of Yang’s rise to fame via TikTok and social media. Now that he is ready to start his next chapter, the artist has confirmed the album will be the last project under the name BoyWithUke.

The album announcement is accompanied by a new single, “Ghost,” a blend of R&B and alt-rock reminiscent of genre favorites like 21 Pilots or his own collaborator blackbear. “I had a lot of fun creating the song, and even after having to listen to it thousands of times, I still haven’t gotten sick of it,” he tells Consequence .

While counting down to the full LP’s release in November, listen to “Ghost” below, and read on for BoyWithUke’s breakdown of the song’s key inspirations.

Burnout Artwork :

Winter in Boston:

Photo by Nate Hovee via Pexels

“Ghost” was first created using a chord progression I took, and slightly modified, from an old classical piano piece — which I’ve tried to find on YouTube again to no avail. It was a sad, somber song that, to me, perfectly embodied the way I feel during the fall and winter in Boston.

Freeform Structure:

Photo by Mart Production via Pexels

“Ghost” was one of the songs I created from left to right, meaning I didn’t really try to follow the traditional format of my songs. I really tried to let the song go where it wanted to go. It started off as a slow and moody piece, but it wanted to explode toward the middle.

I imagine this part of the song to be fitting for a chase sequence of a silly romcom, in which the male protagonist is chasing after the love of his life at an airport.

The end of the song — my favorite part — is where I think it finds a happy medium of fast and exciting, but still smooth and flowy. Overall, I had a lot of fun creating the song, and even after having to listen to it thousands of times, I still haven’t gotten sick of it.

Live Drums:

Photo by Josh Sorenson via Pexels

“Ghost” was the first song I created working with a live drummer. This was a cool experience, as I rarely work with others on my music, let alone elite instrumentalists.

The song originally started off with drums I had programmed myself using stock Logic Pro sounds, which I then sent to the drummer, Aaron Sterling, who was able to miraculously elevate the song to another level. I loved it so much that I had him add his talent to a few of the other songs on my upcoming project.

I think, overall, the addition of live instrument sounds was pretty eye-opening. I will definitely be collaborating with other instrumentalists in the future.

Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habits”:

I wrote most of the lyrics based on real feelings and emotions I’ve had in the past, but the hook was written as almost a response to one of my favorite songs, “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy. His song starts off with, “I wish I knew you wanted me,” and my hook responds, “I should’ve told you when I had the chance.”

A few other inspirations for this song include Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” and Rex Orange County’s “Television / So Far So Good.”

BoyWithUke Announces New Album Burnout, Breaks Down Origins of “Ghost”: Exclusive
Mary Siroky