In 2023 RiTchie and producer Parker Corey introduced By Storm with “Double Trio,” an
impassioned and atmospheric first single that both honored the legacy of their former group
Injury Reserve and opened a new lane towards the future. “Shit gon' repeat if all you do is
delay” RiTchie rapped on the track, underlining the momentum constantly pushing the
rapper/producer duo forward. My Ghosts Go Ghost continues that trajectory, arriving almost by
surprise but with maximum impact.
My Ghosts Go Ghost is an album that is simple in its construction yet dense enough to get lost
in. Created with a back-to-basics mantra (“what if we make nine really strong songs and put
them in a good order?”) the album deals with themes of loss, fatherhood, capitalism, the weight
of experience, and moving past difficult experiences. It is both a debut album and the
continuation of a journey RiTchie and Corey started ten years ago when they first began making
music in Phoenix. “This past decade we built our identity and every record has been us figuring
out more about the kind of band we want to be,” says RiTchie. “That doesn't change.” With My
Ghosts Go Ghost, committed fans get to hear RiTchie and Corey hone their craft in increasingly
refined ways, while newcomers benefit from the experience and clarity of thought that brings
them to this point.
Mention ghosts and many will think of hauntings but My Ghosts Go Ghost is not an album
troubled by history. If anything the art of looking ahead colors RiTchie’s lyrics, specifically how to
do so while holding what is dear from the past. That could be not forgetting people you have
lost, or selfishly wanting to stick with what’s familiar in the face of change. “CIHYFM” finds him
on the eve of becoming a father, excited for what lay ahead but knowing that his relationship
with his partner will also be changing in the process. “I’m ready to grow, just feeling TKTKTKT”
he raps over a somber beat replete with chopped up vocal samples. Album closer "GGG”
maintains that same perspective, asking questions about the speediness of moving on from a
seismic loss. Intricate Spanish guitars act as the bed for RiTchie to wrestle with the notion of
shedding the past only to realise how important it was to you. The desire to look forwards, it
seems, only leads to looking back. Ultimately, My Ghosts Go Ghost, underscores the belief that
life in the present is most precious of all.
An off the cuff DJ set in Stockholm, Sweden in 2019, improvised when technical issues meant
performing live was impossible, acted as the blueprint to unlocking the sound of the album.
Debuting new material in that environment was both fun and freeing for the pair, who tested
multiple My Ghosts Go Ghost tracks in various embryonic stages at shows in Phoenix, London,
L.A. and New York throughout 2025. The automatic feedback of live audiences was both a
prompt when writing and a guide in the editing process. “There's an element of being able to
figure out certain songs better live and come up with ideas when you're in that super emotional
and reactive phase,” says Corey. “You do a lot less overthinking in that environment.”
Album tracks including “Dead Weight” plus “And I Dance” are among the songs aided by this
approach, as was “In My Town” which finds RiTchie juxtaposing life on tour with the financial
realities of any musician that falls outside the superstar bracket. Jobs ferrying food for takeout
apps and later travelling to By Storm shows are presented side by side, with Ritchie writing his
lyrics between deliveries. Gas, in the real and metaphysical senses, is running low at all times
and, with a pregnant partner at home, life is getting real.
It’s a song that condenses themes of creative endeavor, financial hardship, ego, pragmatism,
ambition, and new life into a linear, human story. It’s the kind of song that By Storm could only
have arrived at this juncture of life, with the duo prizing clarity and control above everything else.
“This record is really confident,”explains Corey. “We’re not trying to impress anybody or flexing
our muscles to show what we can do. There’s no gimmicks, it’s just simple concepts
fleshed-out.”
It all adds to the belief that By Storm, with their experimental approach and eclectic sound, are
one of rap’s great outliers. It’s not a term RiTchie and Corey entirely embrace (being part of the
crowd is often more lucrative after all) but it’s fitting nonetheless. At some point you kind of
realise that we're really out here on our own, which isn't a bad thing,” says RiTchie. “Scenes
tend to rise and then all die together.” Corey takes a longer but similarly optimistic view.
“Hopefully some kid on whatever internet archive exists in the future will discover our music in
twenty years and we will be a whole scene by ourselves.” What better legacy could there be for
a group chronicling the myriad ways in which the past continues to color the present?
David Renshaw