Out just in time for Halloween, ‘Haunted Hotel’ is the new single from Shansylvania.
Describing their sound as “haunted folk rock”, Shansylvania, out of Athens, Georgia, is the brainchild of Shannon Provost, who has been writing poems and short stories since she was a child, with her themes falling between the fictional and natural worlds, fuelled by the stacks of books she would borrow from the local library, as well as her meanderings through the forest. After suffering an unexpected and tragic loss, she found herself plunged into a world of darkness, and, rather than be brought down by it, she decided instead to lean into it, crafting lyrics about the paranormal.
New album, ‘MonostroCity’, set for release this Friday, the 25th of September, is an 18 song “Halloween folk opera”, comprising bluegrass instrumentation, chamber pop, dance grooves, clever lyrics, and haunting vocals.
‘Haunted Hotel’ has elements of prog-rock bands such as Yes, as well as Fleetwood Mac – indeed it might be said that there’s a lot of Stevie Nicks in Shannon Provost’s sound, pleading, earnest, and soulful, she sings of how, no matter what’s going on, “It’s always Halloween in my mind”, and “I’m tired of pretending that I’m fine”.
Later she sings, “It’s always Halloween in my mind / The days are even darker than the nights / A century’s come and gone / Drunk on memories till the dawn / I’m still waiting for you”
It’s heartbreaking imagery, perfectly capturing the sorrow and feelings of hopelessness that come with loss, dragging down the ones left behind. It would be easy to let it totally consume and destroy you – unless you harness it, like Provost.
Listen to ‘Haunted Hotel’ below. ‘MonstroCity’ is available to be downloaded here. You can find out more about Shansylvania and their music online on their official website, and Instagram.