Joe Ghatt – Always Remember: 13th Floor New Song Of The Day

Five years on since his impressive debut, Third Eye Stimuli Records is thrilled to welcome back our beloved Aotearoa-based psychedelic surf and garage rock artist, Joe Ghatt with new single Always Remember and the announcement of his forthcoming sophomore album, Caper — set for release on June 14th via TESR, Echodelick Records (USA) and Six Tonnes de Chair (FR).Here’s the blurb with more:

Following the unexpected acclaim from his charming lo-fi 2019 debut album Banana Sludge, followed by a successful first tour of Australia’s east coast and supporting California’s Allah Las on their 2020 New Zealand tour, Joe Ghatt excitedly got to work on his follow up record — a process that became a three year journey, battling the isolation of Covid-19 lockdowns, whilst getting deep in his exploration of new influences, sounds and production.

The new album, Caper is finally ready for its reveal with the release of lead single ‘Always Remember’, which sees the talented kiwi composer creating his most energetic song to date, with its uptempo drums and bass groove, layers of percussion and rhythmic electric guitar, paired with Joe’s breathy melodic vocals and enchanting flute echoing throughout. The 4:52 track is a cleverly arranged and dynamic jam, where Joe Ghatt brings certain instruments to the surface at different moments, making full use of stereo sound.

“It’s a reminder to keep true to yourself and those core values when the tides turn — don’t forget them. It’s a special one for me as the lyrics were almost like a premonition.” — Joe Ghatt

To compliment the mysterious and magical quality of the song, ‘Always Remember’ is accompanied by an equally magic and exotic music video featuring beautiful nature scenes captured on 16mm film by Ssimple, spliced together with abstract angles of Joe Ghatt performing the song on guitar, captured by Joe’s partner and artist, Courtney Ghatt and additional VFX by USA artist, Andrew Knives.

Taking some influence from Afro-beat, Tropicalia and other World Music, Joe explains more about his influences at the time of writing and recording ‘Always Remember’; “I had a lot of Fela Kuti and Tony Allen’s music playing at the time so an Afrobeat flavour is in there for sure. I was also really influenced by artists such as Los Destellos and that whole late 60s Peruvian scene. The tonal palette is everything I love — surf guitar, driving percussion and so on. Herbie Mann is another household classic which may have played its part in the flute heavy arrangement.”

‘Always Remember’ is the perfect introduction to what we can expect from Joe Ghatt’s eagerly-awaited sophomore album, Caper, which is set for release on June 14th. Three years in the making, the forthcoming record is a labour of love and dedication that sees Ghatt evolving his jangly psych and surf-infused garage rock sound with exciting, exotic style and sounds, exploring his love for Afro-Beat, Tropicalia, Bossa Nova, Peruvian and Latin music.

With Joe writing the bones of all the songs on his faithful nylon string — the first instrument he learnt to play when living in Spain as a young teen — the album is a highly percussive and rhythmic journey that will delight the senses and imagination. Different to Joe’s 2019 debut album Banana Sludge, where he recorded and mixed the album all through his Tascam Reel-To-Reel, on Caper, Joe enlisted Melbourne’s John Lee (The Murlocs, Bananagun, Sunfruits) to mix and master the album, giving it a contemporary sound, while staying true to Joe’s colourful, analogue charm.

Joe Ghatt’s new single ‘Always Remember’ is out today with his sophomore album set for June 14th release via Third Eye Stimuli Records, Echodelick Records (USA) and Six Tonnes de Chair (FR).