The Ghouls - Handle With Care

Album cover by Peter Trainor

The Ghouls were the winners of the 2024 Rock and Roll Rumble, and have blown me away every time I've seen them play live. Last Friday the Lowell heroes released their debut album, Handle With Care, and the question I had is if they'd be able to capture their live energy on a studio album, and the answer is a huge yes.

The Ghouls have a fantastic ramshackle energy to their live show. It's that 90's style attitude where you don't care if there as mistakes, or if it goes well, just as long as they and their friends have fun. The album starts off with "Pocket of Gold," I song I instantly remembered from their live show. It lands in this perfect area between alt-rock and punk, and as rock based as The Ghouls' songs are, they're as catchy and well crafted as anything currently on the Top 40 charts. "Lovestruck" is an alt-rock mid-tempo crooner with a vibe that incorporates some 1960's love songs. "Hellbound" is a favorite of their live shows that usually gets some moshing going, and as soon as it starts you'll understand why. If I'm going to compare Handle With Care to other bands it would be Green Day meets Fountains of Wayne. This is a great one that's going to be in heavy rotation at if It's Too Loud... global headquarters for a while.

George Danahy (vocals/guitar) says of his band's new album:

“I hope this record is universal for the listener. I hope it is an album they choose to listen to while working out, while driving, on amazing days, and on awful days. Handle With Care reflects how young our band is in the grand scheme of things, in a positive way. There are many wildly different sounding tracks on this record, yet all of them still sound like they come from us. It all still feels cohesive.” 

You can listen to Handle With Care below. The album is available for purchase via Bandcamp. For more on The Ghouls, check out the band on Instagram.