One of the beautiful things about music is its ability to unify listeners through shared experiences, especially when it deals with life’s many tough lessons. Ghost.wav’s first full-length album, Sight Seeker,  released on July 19, 2024, accomplishes exactly this with the ten powerful tracks that at times delicately and other times vigorously touch on a wide variety of topics, including self-harm, loss, addiction, ego, and even being financially broke. 

Ghost.wav originated in 2021 out of Colorado. The group is made up of Nick Wimer on guitar and vocals (who also does all the band’s artwork,) Will Lovell on bass, Shawn Van Houten on saxophone, and Aaron Patterson on drums. Wimer had been touring regularly with his former group, Project 432, until they disbanded towards the end of the Covid pandemic. However, Wimer still had plenty of creativity left to share. “I still had a bunch of ideas I wanted to get out,” he explained. “Ghost.wav started as me bringing songs to some of my very talented friends around the country. It became a very collaborative thing. In a lot of ways, it was a very therapeutic thing, because suddenly, I was collaborating again with all of the friends I made on the road.”

Van Houten, Patterson & Wimer (L to R)

On Sight Seeker, Ghost.wav deals with some serious subjects,  but the overall tone of the album feels fun-loving and lighthearted.  “The general theme on the album is truth – finding it, navigating it, honoring the parts that are uncomfortable to face, and making peace with it,” explained Wimer when I asked him what the overall substance of Sight Seeker holds. “Being alive is really dope. Sometimes it’s tough, but how cool of a concept that we can honor the struggle and strife, commiserate on it and keep on pushing, because we’re all going through it.”

This sort of mission statement for living is demonstrated throughout each track on Sight Seeker. Wimer illustrates how the power of words, especially in songs, have always been a kind of lighthouse for him. “Lyrics have always been a huge influence on helping me navigate things in my life, so I wanted to touch on heavier subjects that people might stumble upon when they need them.” 

I asked him what he hopes people gain from this album. He responded, “We’re all in this together. I hope this doesn’t come off as cliché, but we’re all fighting a battle. We’re all uncomfortable sometimes.”

The first track, titled “0-100,” sets the tone for Sight Seeker with a blend of horns, catchy beats, and fun raps. It attests to the life knowledge Ghost.wav shares within their music. Wimer explains this song “is basically a love letter to my life and family. Life comes at you fast and this was a sort of realization of that.” 

“0-100” speaks to “what I’m grateful for and what needs work,” says Wimer. The song mentions how he’s waiting for the right time to make his wife a mother. Ironically, as Sight Seeker was introduced to the world, Wimer and his wife were being introduced to their brand new baby. “It’s so crazy that it lined up this way. I wrote that song about four months before we even found out we were pregnant.” 

When asked how an album release and a new baby have impacted his life, Wimer chuckled as he said, “Simply put, it’s a lot. Watching my wife turn into this superhero that takes care of my stepdaughter, and my baby, and me, and the house – the power of women is awe-inspiring.”

 “Give a Little Love” follows and reminds us that while losing a loved one is painful and can easily send us into a downward spiral, it’s likely that our lost loved one wouldn’t want us stuck in a depression. The chorus of the song recites:

If you miss when I’m gone

Give a little love, and move along

We are reminded to keep moving forward in life, regardless of the pain of a loss. Wimer wrote this song on the day his dad passed away from cancer. “I kept getting stuck on how deeply sad I was, and I started thinking about what my dad might have thought about that. He was huge on having a positive mental attitude and I think the last thing he would have wanted was for me to be so bereft about his passing. It got me thinking about what I want my friends and family to take away from my eventual passing. I would want you all to give a little love and move along.”  

Shawn Van Houten

 The theme of facing some of life’s toughest challenges continues with “Out Before,” a song inspired by addiction. The grasp of addiction can be overwhelming and can impact one’s life greatly. Wimer explains how the song is about “needing to get back to a feeling or place and trying to get out before it leaves a lasting mark on your life.” It demonstrates again how Ghost.wav has the ability to get a powerful message across to its listeners in a way that doesn’t leave you feeling down.

The title track off the album, “Sight Seeker, ” perfectly lands metaphoric messages with a punch. The lyrics are effortlessly delivered in a perfect combination of hip-hop and reggae.   “This one’s all about finding YOUR truth,” Wimer said about what the song meant to him. “You’re not locked into what you’re living, and you’re not fated to your situation.”

The album continues with “Black Sheep,” an ode to anyone who feels like they don’t click with who they are. While the sound provides a lighthearted tone, the message behind the words is anything but.  Reminding listeners of the heartfelt wisdom Ghost.wav shares with us through this beautifully produced album, Wimer divulges, “I’ve lost too many people to self-harm, and this song is about realizing it’s not you that doesn’t click, you just haven’t found where you click, yet. It’s worth the search.”   

Next up, with a sound somewhat reminiscent to Stick Figure, “Hold You Down” testifies how your ego can get in the way of yourself:

 I’m here to tell you now

The heart you hold can’t hold you down

Wimer explains how your true self is typically very different from the version of you that you think you are. “It’s ok to let that part of you go,” he wisely shares. These thoughts, along with this song, provoked a sense of self-realization I didn’t even know I was in need of. Being afraid to say goodbye to a version of you that you have identified with for so long isn’t for the faint of heart, but it seems very necessary for personal growth. I must genuinely thank Ghost.wav for this bittersweet epiphany.

Aaron Patterson

Continuing with the self-realizations and gentle reminders to keep going when times get tough, “House Is on Fire” is about  gracefully accepting life’s many growing pains. Wimer shares with us, “Getting to where you want to be is almost always scary and uncomfortable, but the other side of fear and discomfort is always worth it!” The song features a verse sung in Spanish by Arizona-based reggae/rock artist, Fayuca, which fits perfectly.

Many people will be able to relate to the next track, “Money Gone,” which, as the title suggests, speaks to the everyday struggle most of us endure while trying to make ends meet. However, the anguish of being broke is offset by the clever rhymes sung atop a roots reggae beat:

You know that feeling of looking in your wallet and finding 

Your last buck

Something like a sinking realizing that you’re down on your luck

Working through the weekend forty plus and always grinding

Your boss sucks

Pressure pushing on ya while the hands of time spin man what’s up

Collectors keep collecting and the debt you keep assigning

Piles up on to the ceiling under bills that keep aligning

For so many of us, we work to survive and the money we make is gone just as quickly as we make it. While this can easily bring us down,  knowing others scuffle similarly provides us with a sense of comfort.

The next and ninth song on Sight Seeker,  “Alright,” beautifully consoles listeners who may feel abandoned or alone and tells us to allow ourselves to exist in the moment. We can easily get lost in the worry of what could be, what was, and what will be. It’s when we are lost in the worry that we aren’t able to exist in the moment.

Nobody feels the weight that you carry

No one feels the scars on your hands

No one sees the pain that you hide

Nobody seems to understand.

You got the weight of the world on your mind

It’s heavy and it’s slowing you down

Keep your eyes on the sweet sunshine

And smile when the love comes around

Asked if he has always had such a voice of reason and positivity, Wimer explained, “It goes back to my dad’s positive mental attitude. You have to stay in the right headspace, but you have to keep pushing, too. You have to do the hard stuff either way, might as well make it as enjoyable as you can.”

Will Lovell

The final track, titled “Spaghetti Western,” sends its listeners off with a bang. Filled with thought-provoking raps and a lively sound, Wimer describes how the message is about falling to temptation and how the easy way out of things can cost a lot more than the struggle to get out of a situation. “It’s about selling your soul to the devil in a dive bar,” he quipped.  

Along with insightful wisdom gained through life’s lessons, Sight Seeker imparts encouragement and strength through songs that listeners should be able to relate to as they impulsively move to the upbeat blend of reggae, rock and hip-hop. While the album addresses some pretty weighty issues with its real and raw lyrics,  the buoyant songs laden with catchy choruses playfully counter that gravity to create an overall uplifting experience.  

Like the humility that comes through in Ghost.wav’s music, Wimer shares the credit of this gem of an album with his bandmates: “I have a great amount of pride in these songs, but I know they wouldn’t be what they are without Will Lovell, Shawn Van Houten and Aaron Patterson. I can’t overstate enough how much my band is instrumental in creating the final product. The songs are born from my lyrics and structure, but they add a lot of the catchy melodies or driving bass lines, the nasty drums, the pulse-like percussion.”

Continuing, Wimer wanted to extend his gratitude  to all who came together to make Sight Seeker:  “We recorded the album at 17th Street Studios with Lewis Richards. The album was mixed by Mark Leblanc Jr. and mastered by Danny Kalb, who has worked with both The Movement and The Elovaters. We were honored to have features from Dread Kennedy, Myles Chaves from the Riddims, Shakamon, and Gabo from Fayuca. We were also stoked to get accompaniment from Wylie Jones on keys, Sean Campbell on percussion, Jamey ‘Zeb’ Dekofsky on drums, Mark Leblanc Jr. on drums, and Taylor Kaufman on guitar.”

In closing,  Wimer reminded us, “Whatever you want to do, no matter how big, no matter how hard, it’s a matter of sweat and time. Just. Keep. GOING!”