Amber & the Moon
Chapter II: Her Ghost
to the place of somber beauty...
Chapter II.I
‘Her Ghost’ is about the collapse of an old, worn-out identity and the aftermath of a relationship coming to an end, transforming from a deep sense of vulnerability to an unwavering openness. It describes the rare moment when the pursuit of self-knowledge becomes stronger and ultimately overwhelming - when you have to leave everything behind. At least temporarily.
Lyrics
'You don’t talk to me
like you used to do'
His words are crawling through her head
'You don’t touch me now
like you used to do'
His words are crawling through her skin
But she knows she holds his heart in her hands
And her ghost he’s waiting for to come back
He doesn’t make her feel
what she felt before
Words aren’t always spoken truth
​
Is there something else
that might have changed them
selves?
In-between their vanished youth
​
But she knows she holds his heart in her hands
And her ghost he’s waiting for to come back
​
He doesn't know what the say after all this time
She can't differ between wrong or right
She doesn't know how to feel after all this time
He's only watching her turning his days into nights
His heart
In her hands
His heart
In her hands
His heart
In her hands
His heart
In her hands
His heart
In her hands
His heart
In her hands
Chapter II.II
Her Ghost was recorded at two magical places. Earlier this year, we've recorded my vocals and my acoustic guitar at a very idyllic cabin at the stormy North Sea.
Then, in June, we went to Studio Nord to record the full band in one of the oldest private studios with analogue equipment in Germany. We've lived and recorded our music there for almost two weeks, enjoying the privilege of living in our own musical world - only surrounded by nature, tons of instruments and musicial gear.
When we returned to Hamburg, we spontaneously recorded our friend Paul on cello late at night. Before that, the outro of Her Ghost sounded very different from the version you know now. We actually replaced the whole drum arrangement with percussive beats from the cello. Somehow that was the missing piece of the puzzle :)
Thank you all for listening to the song! It really means a lot. The last picture was taken by our friend and helping hand Sara, capturing the prancing moonlight in the corridors of the studio.
Chapter II.III
The music video to 'Her Ghost' is the first part of an album video trilogy. We were excited of the idea that all films are linked by one motif and that our story unfolds over time. And it all began with Sumia, the protagonist of 'Her Ghost'.
Funnily enough, Sumia and I went to the same school when we were young. And years later, 900 kilometers from our hometown, we happened to meet on the street. I was on my way home after a show when I saw her coming towards me. We both rubbed our eyes because we couldn't believe it.
Weeks later, in May, we were planning and writing the script for the music video of 'Her Ghost' - only later did I realize that it was Sumia I had in mind when we wrote the story. I called her and hoped that the idea didn't seem too absurd to her - Sumia immediately agreed, and our unexpected meeting no longer felt like a coincidence.
Together with my brother Tizian and director Elias Pölt, we wrote the script for the first short film of the upcoming trilogy, featuring the two wonderful characters and actors Sumia Ansari and Xiduo Zhao.
'Her Ghost' paves the way for a departure into the unknown.
Will you follow me to the place of somber beauty?
Chapter II.IV
The artwork for Her Ghost captures an intimate moment of self-reflection. It shows the vulnerable truth of recognizing one's silhouette in the mirror, but not oneself.
After two weeks in the studio, followed by an intensive week of overdub recordings and finally mixing Her Ghost, Ben painted the artwork late at night. And if I remember it right, it was around 3AM when I finished the final artwork graphic design.
So here's the artwork progression of only one night:
The final artwork:
