Olivia Jean Arrives At The Sublime Intersection Of Her Many Rock Influences On Third Album "Raving Ghost"

Olivia Jean has unveiled her third solo album with the release of Raving Ghost, she has also announced a sizable number of tour dates in support that includes a stop at The Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles on Jun. 7. Although she helped co-founded the gothic rock outfit The Black Belles, releasing their debut album back in 2011, the last decade has seen Jean hunker down on her solo work. Releasing her first record Bathtub Love Killings in 2014 and following it up with her sophomore release Night Owl a few years later.

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From the moment the album opens with the side-winding melody of its surf-rock-inflected title track — which is cut up by the occasional intonation of grumbling guitars — it’s clear you’re in for quite the invigorating ride. The first half of the record revels in this pivoting: there are the heady rumblings of “Spider” that roar from its cavernous soundscape, which in turn gives way to the jutting riffs that corkscrew and strut around Jean’s wailing on “Trouble.”

Other tracks like “I Need You” and the aptly titled “Fun” sprint through their buoyant pop-punk energy, which is made appeasingly grimy by its infusion of a delirium-soaked duel of guitars. The former song also comes with a video that was released alongside the album that applies Jean’s love of vintage visuals that she prefers to meld her songs with — using black and white shots of fast cars and powerful women.

Another exceptional standout on the album is Jean’s take on the Enya song “Orinoco Flow,” a riveting cover that underscores the artist’s knack for shapeshifting between genre and her enigmatic ability to carry all the vitality needed to walk the tight-rope of pop and rock. The album’s penultimate track “Godmother” tears it up amidst melancholic existential musings, adding to the haunting atmosphere of the record but also showcasing her captivatingly poetic songwriting.

On Raving Ghost though, Jean bends all the alluringly virulent energy of her sonic repertoire toward creating an album that is sweepingly eclectic. All 11-tracks span a gripping mixture of garage rock, power-pop, and goth punk that serves as the artist’s most sonically potent and melodically revitalizing collection to date.

See Olivia Jean at The Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles on Jun. 7.

Visit Olivia Jean on their website, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.

Olivia Jean tour
May 5 – The Blue Room – Nashville, TN
May 6 – Shaky Knees Music Festival – Atlanta, GA
May 7 – The Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC
May 8 – DC9 – Washington, DC
May 10 – Middle East Upstairs – Cambridge, MA
May 11 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
May 12 – Milkboy – Philadelphia, PA
May 13 – The Basement – Columbus, OH
May 15 – The Drake Hotel Underground – Toronto, ON
May 16 – Shelter – Detroit, MI
May 18 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
June 1 – House of Blues Cambridge Room – Dallas, TX
June 2 – House of Blues Bronze Peacock – Houston, TX
June 3 – Parish – Austin, TX
June 6 – Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ
June 7 – The Moroccan Lounge – Los Angeles, CA
June 8 – Brick & Mortar Music Hall – San Francisco, CA
June 10 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR
June 11 – Madame Lou’s – Seattle, WA
June 13 – Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
June 14 – Lost Lake – Denver, CO
June 16 – Uptown Theater The Encore Room – Kansas City, MO