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Ghostholding
A grainy and purple-tinted image of a light shining on a person's hair
Studio album by
Venturing
ReleasedFebruary 14, 2025
RecordedSeptember 2024 – January 2025
Genre
Length51:08
LabelDeadAir
ProducerJane Remover
Venturing chronology
Arizona
(2023) 		Ghostholding
(2025)
Singles from Ghostholding
  1. "Sister"
    Released: September 26, 2024
  2. "Halloween"
    Released: October 31, 2024
  3. "Famous Girl"
    Released: December 5, 2024
  4. "Dead Forever"
    Released: January 9, 2025

Ghostholding is the debut studio album by Venturing, a side project of the American musician Jane Remover. It was released by DeadAir Records on February 14, 2025. Initially believed to be a fictional indie rock band created by Remover, they clarified the alias is only a current project separate from their main music. The album was written by Remover between 2022 and 2024. They also recorded, produced, and mixed it from September 2024 to January 2025, concurrently with their third album under their main name, Revengeseekerz. Four singles—"Sister", "Halloween", "Famous Girl", and "Dead Forever"—accompanied Ghostholding.

Mainly drawing from rock, avant-rock, and indie rock, Ghostholding employs emo guitar riffs, elevating melodies, reverb, and impassioned vocals in its mix. Its lyrics continue Remover's interest in long roads and empty spaces, which was present in their earlier music. The album received positive reviews from music critics with particular praise for its melodies and emotions, though its mixing drew some criticism. Ghostholding charted on the North American College and Community Radio Chart (NACC).

Background and release

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Jane Remover began releasing tracks under the Venturing alias in 2022.[1] It was initially believed to be a fictional indie rock band from South Dakota created by Remover that was active in the 1990s and later re-discovered.[2][3][4] Remover later clarified that their fans made up the project's backstory and spread it across various music websites; they also confirmed the alias is only a current project separate from their main music.[3] In May 2023, Remover released the project's debut extended play (EP), Arizona, which contained four tracks.[5]

The recording of Venturing's debut album, Ghostholding, occurred simultaneously with the recording of Remover's third album, Revengeseekerz. Remover wrote the album track "Sister" a long time before creating the album; it was also the first song they recorded after coming back home from touring with JPEGMafia.[6] Remover wrote the album between 2022 and 2024, and recorded, produced, and mixed it from September 2024 to January 2025. The album was mastered for vinyl by Moa.[7]

The lead single of Ghostholding, "Sister", was released on September 26, 2024.[8] It was followed by "Halloween" on October 31.[9] Ghostholding, as well as its cover artwork and track list, was announced on December 5, alongside the release of its third single, "Famous Girl".[10] Its fourth and final single, "Dead Forever", released on January 9, 2025.[11] The album was released by DeadAir Records on February 14, 2025.[1][12] Ghostholding peaked at number 23 on the North American College and Community Radio Chart (NACC) dated March 18, 2025.[13]

Composition

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Overview

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Music journalists described Ghostholding as a rock,[14][15] avant-rock,[16] and indie rock[5] album with influences of emo, slowcore, and shoegaze.[2][5][12] The album employs emo guitar riffs, elevating melodies, reverb, and impassioned vocals in its mix.[1][5] Multiple journalists observed similarities between Ghostholding and Census Designated,[12][16][17] Remover's second album released under their main name.[14] Lyrically, Ghostholding continues Remover's interest in long roads and empty spaces, as first explored on Census Designated. Remover stretches their voice across measures and alters their voice across the album.[12] The second half of numerous songs feature loud guitars and drums.[5]

Pitchfork's Sasha Geffen likened the album's blend of guitar riffs and introspective singing to Midwest emo music and wrote that "occasional shoegaze blasts" are scattered across the album. They[a] also wrote how Remover sings to people, places, and feelings that seem to possibly disappear in the album's lyrics.[12] Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan said the album "bridges the gap between post-internet modernism and '90s revival" more than albums than Remover's main albums do. He also observed how the album could not have existed in the 1990s, due to its production and vocal style.[2] Similarly, Steve Erickson for Gay City News identified the album as sounding like "one person's creation on a laptop, not the work of a live band".[5] The New Yorker's Sheldon Pearce described Remover's music under the Venturing alias as "emo-leaning".[19]

Songs

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The opening track of Ghostholding is "Play My Guitar", which is followed by "No Sleep",[10] a track contains restless drumming and a cowbell that builds tension within the song.[5] Geffen felt the line "I believe everything, do you believe in me?" in "Believe" holds emotional weight depending on whether or not the answer to the line is "yes".[12] "Guesthouse" features stretched-out lead vocals and softer backing vocals, which creates a vocal mix that clashes "rather than harmonize", per Erickson.[5] "Spider" opens with a slow guitar and a faint noise, and builds to a dense, aggressive sound with echo effects and a hazy effect. The song's notes blend into one another; Erickson said the "indistinct mix suggests half-recalled memories".[5] "Recoil" is a 1990s-reminiscent rock and roll track that features tense drums and guitar riffs.[20] On "Something Has to Change", Remover begs the line "Please, God, save me", before their voice builds into a loud roar.[12] The online music critic Anthony Fantano likened the first part of "Dead Forever" to "Smashing Pumpkins worship" and stated that the song develops into melodies that grow past the song's lo-fi mixing.[21] Erickson felt "Sick / Relapse" took its "indistinct mix" to the record's "furthest extreme".[5] "Famous Girl" presents clean vocals atop distorted guitars and bouncy percussion; The Fader's David Renshaw observed similarities to 1980s-inspired pop rock by Mk.gee or the 1975 in the song.[22] Similarly, Abby Jones of Stereogum said its guitars "float between lo-fi jangle and a Mk.gee-style groove".[23] The track also sees Remover singing "Feel like a runaway dreamer runaway dreaming" with energetic vocals.[12] Jones described "Famous Girl", as well as the tracks "Halloween" and "Sister", as "dreamy" and "very lo-fi".[10]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Needle Drop7/10[b]
Pitchfork7.9/10[12]

Ghostholding received a positive review from Pitchfork upon its release. Geffen called it "an album full of sprawling, fearsome beauty" and considered it an improvement over Remover's previous rock music. They also felt its emo-influenced sound allowed Remover to write "the most daring vocal melodies they've written".[12] In a review for BrooklynVegan, Sacher said the album has "surface level era-specific traits" but called its emotions "timeless".[2] Fantano called the tracks "consistent"[25] and, while he felt its mixing was messy, he considered the album an improvement over Census Designated.[26] Konstantinos Pappis of Our Culture Mag said the album has "some of [Remover's] most explosive vocals to date".[1] Uproxx's Grant Sharples named Ghostholding one of the best indie albums from its release week; he said it exists in "a parallel universe in which Jane kept pursuing rock's outer edges", alluding to the rap and hyperpop sound of Revengeseekerz.[17] In a less enthusiastic review for Gay City News, Erickson stated that the album shows its 1990s indie rock influences more clearly than Arizona. He also said the album "brings up images of a grey, overcast sky", criticized its "muddy" production, and considered it a downgrade when compared to Census Designated.[5] The staff at The Fader and Stereogum deemed "Famous Girl" one of the best tracks of its release week.[22][23] Similarly, the staff of BrooklynVegan named "Believe" one of their favorite tracks from its week of release.[27]

Track listing

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All tracks are written and produced by Jane Remover.

Ghostholding track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Play My Guitar"3:30
2."No Sleep"3:20
3."Believe"3:39
4."Guesthouse"3:58
5."Spider"4:18
6."Recoil"3:22
7."Something Has to Change"3:19
8."Dead Forever"4:03
9."We Don't Exist"4:15
10."Sick / Relapse"5:22
11."Famous Girl"3:54
12."Halloween"3:37
13."Sister"4:31
Total length:51:08
Physical release[c]
No.TitleLength
14."Stand Up Donor"1:36
15."Cream Soda"2:39
16."Vulture City"2:36
17."I Love My Friends"2:26
18."Dream Sequence"4:10
19."If You Treat Her"2:32
Total length:67:07

Charts

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Chart performance for Ghostholding
Chart (2025) Peak
position
US & Canadian College Radio Top 200 (NACC)[13] 23

Note

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  1. ^ Geffen uses they/them pronouns.[18]
  2. ^ Specifically, Fantano rated the album a "decent 7".[24]
  3. ^ Contains all tracks from Arizona. "Dream Sequence" was previously released under Jane Remover.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Pappis, Konstantinos (February 14, 2025). "7 Albums Out Today to Listen to: Horsegirl, Bartees Strange, Cryogeyser, and More". Our Culture Mag. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Sacher, Andrew (February 14, 2025). "Notable Releases of the Week (2/14)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Jones, Abby (December 10, 2024). "Jane Remover Announces 2025 Tour, Clarifies Venturing Is Not A Fictional '90s Band". Stereogum. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  4. ^ Bloom, Madison; Corcoran, Nina; Green, Walden (February 14, 2025). "11 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: Drake, Skaiwater, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Erickson, Steve (February 14, 2025). "February LGBTQ music: Olly Alexander's Polari and Venturing's Ghostholding". Gay City News. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  6. ^ Norris, John (April 8, 2025). "Jane Remover Comes In Hot". Paper. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  7. ^ DeadAir Records (2025). Ghostholding (Vinyl liner notes). Venturing. DeadAir Records. dA-012.
  8. ^ Venturing (September 26, 2024). "'Sister'". Apple Music. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  9. ^ Venturing (October 31, 2024). "'Halloween'". Apple Music. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  10. ^ a b c Jones, Abby (December 5, 2024). "Jane Remover Announces New Venturing Album Ghostholding". Stereogum. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Venturing (January 9, 2025). "'Dead Forever'". Apple Music. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Geffen, Sasha (February 14, 2025). "venturing: Ghostholding Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "NACC Chart - Top 200 Summary Chart". North American College and Community Radio Chart. March 18, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Mitchell, Matt (April 4, 2025). "Jane Remover Crashes Out in Excess on Revengeseekerz". Paste. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  15. ^ Ciubotaru, Noah (May 1, 2025). "Jane Remover Threw Down the Gauntlet in Toronto". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  16. ^ a b Hess, Liam (April 6, 2025). "Jane Remover Is Ready to Blow Up". Vogue. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Sharples, Grant (February 18, 2025). "All The Best New Indie Music From This Week". Uproxx. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  18. ^ "Sasha Geffen, Author at Consequence". Consequence. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  19. ^ Pearce, Sheldon (April 28, 2025). "Jane Remover". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  20. ^ Fantano 2025, 3:40.
  21. ^ Fantano 2025, 3:48.
  22. ^ a b Renshaw, David (December 11, 2024). "Songs You Need In Your Life This Week". The Fader. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  23. ^ a b Jones, Abby (December 6, 2024). "The 5 Best Songs Of The Week". Stereogum. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  24. ^ Fantano 2025, 6:05.
  25. ^ Fantano 2025, 1:58.
  26. ^ Fantano 2025, 3:11.
  27. ^ Pearis, Bill (February 14, 2025). "Our Favorite Songs of the Week (Playlist)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 3, 2025.

Video sources

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