Valencia’s new album, Dancing With A Ghost, starts off with a bang as the title track of the record and “Spinning Out” that bring you back to the 90’s are reminiscent of Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album, and, in the case of the boys, it is certainly a good thing as Shane Henderson’s vocals shine in a way only previously heard in the live setting. 

“Consider Me Dead” and “Losing Sleep” prove to be Ghost’s best simply because Valencia broke out of their shell and took a risk, and it certainly paid off in both cases. The catchy melodies on “Dead” would have been enough, but the band takes it to the next level by adding mild screams that will be a concert favorite. Meanwhile “Losing Sleep” hits hard with excellent drums from new member Dan Pawlovich and chilling vocals as Henderson asks, “So if you checked the weather report // Then why the fuck are we driving north?”

Tracks like “Still Need You Around,” “Friday Night,” and the album’s closer, “Stop Searching,” feature Valencia branching out in a method that doesn’t quite fail but at the same time show up lackluster and are the record’s most disappointing mishaps. 

“Somewhere I Belong,” “Days Go By,” and “The Way” will be Ghost’s more overlooked tracks as they do not pack the same punch as some of the aforementioned songs, but they do showcase the band’s improvement from We All Need A Reason To Believe from the bottom up. “Somewhere I Belong” will surely go down as one of Valencia’s classics for fans who give the record a proper listen or two.

The most notable difference is the production, and there is one hell of an improvement asDancing With A Ghost quickly leaves We All Need A Reason To Believe in the dust. Overall it’s a giant step foreword for Valencia and the band deserves due credit, but hopefully they can work through the kinks just a little bit better next time. 

***.5/*****