Ghostking is Dead

Matthew Corrigan’s work as Ghostking is Dead stylistically fuses Irish indie rock with notes of hip-hop and bedroom pop over jazzy chords, carving out his own sonic niche somewhere between Nealo’s INNRSPACE recordings and Villagers’ dabbling with synths, and somewhere uncharted down south. His music finds itself in the midst of a national cultural moment; between rising house prices, rising sea levels, rising anxieties, tumultuous cultural tides.

As a founding member of Cork’s Hausu, a fully-independent artists collective that writes, records, releases, mixes, masters, distributes and promotes music, Corrigan released two other EPs as Ghostking is Dead; Sweet Boy saw his first strides into his current form, a home-spun release that launched the collective and broadened his horizons beyond Cork. This Is Doubt saw him tackle his anxieties head-on, while inviting new sounds, weaving hip-hop beats and spoken word passages into his fabric.

His return comes at a time when he is fresh from a busy 2019 playing guitar and recently producing with Irish rap sensation Alex Gough. In 2018 he released his EP This is Doubt to acclaim, being named one of the top Irish acts to watch in 2019 by Nialler9 and being picked up by Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop, compared to King Krule and Destroyer. In his return, he lends a new insight into a young man with a new outlook.

Praise for the live show:
"Then Corrigan began to sing, and if you haven’t heard Ghostking is Dead before, that bellowing voice will blow you away the first time you hear it." - Jacks Media

Praise for released music:
For us, his distinctive vocals and unwillingness to conform to genres were the two most promising things about him as an artist. His EP ‘Sweet Boy‘ was a little more straight-laced, while his ‘This Is Doubt‘ project took risks, but was a little abrasive. With ‘Deflector’ there’s a sense that he’s finally weaving the experimental with the accessible.
-District Magazine, on 'Deflector'

"‘This Is Doubt’ is a unique collection of enthralling and enchanting tracks filled with rich rhythms, deep meanings and expressive vocals. There is something quite mesmerising about each track." - Indie Buddie

“The single confirms Ghostkingisdead doesn't do limitations, and is very comfortable at strafing across a multitude of styles and sounds with uncanny ease.”
-REMY, on 'Tokyo'

"As technically accomplished as you’d expect from a musical prodigy, with a bone-dry sense of humour to boot." -Broadsheet.ie

"It's bright but it's mirthless, starry-eyed but disillusioned, laidback but unsettled." -MOTLEY