Luke Top‘s “Poltergeist” offers an unexpected confluence of influences, that range from reggae to pop and exotica. It’s rare to find a song that is at once so familiar and deeply original.
Top says, “When I think about the sound of this track I picture 1970’s Dutch reggae played after a John Bonham drum lesson (not that I’m much of a Zeppelin fan), with a synth lineup ripped out of a William Onyeabor studio photo or a Les Baxter record. It’s stamped with psychedelic tape delays that swing upwards into space, all while conjuring up a self-reflexive sermon about lowly inner demons. This song began in a dream, so it has always had this odd, REM-cycle energy floating around inside of it. It was self-recorded under quarantine in my new home on the outskirts of the San Fernando Valley, California. There I’m surrounded by retired KROQ-era new wave musicians, Juggalos, and a bagel factory. In other words, a perfect storm of creative opportunity.”
Proceeds from streams and sales go to the Loveland Foundation, which helps Black women gain access to mental health professionals.