Dirty Ghosts

In 2006 two Toronto natives who had relocated to the Bay Area walked away from the local hard rock unit Parchman Farm and launched Dirty Ghosts, the project of Allyson Baker and Carson Binks. With assistance from Baker’s former husband Aesop Rock, the pair fused ’80s new wave and punk into a gritty, lo-fi male-female sound that invited parallels with Sleigh Bells and the Kills yet more closely echoed the approach of fellow San Franciscans Chrome. Before any recordings could be completed, Binks exited in 2011 to join Saviours, leaving Baker to overhaul the band’s direction. She finally documented the songs she had begun composing five years earlier on the 2012 debut Metal Moon, a collection that spiritually merged Sleater-Kinney and the Walkmen while placing greater weight on rhythm to deliver blistering lo-fi alt-rock aimed at the groovy hipster crowd. After exploring a sharper new wave palette on the three-song Cataract EP, Baker issued the full-length Let It Pretend in late 2015 through Last Gang Records, now supported by bassist Erin McDermott and drummer Tony Sevener. Influenced by the groovier stylings of the Police and XTC, the album emerged more refined, featuring larger beats and warmer production while retaining its jagged character.