Many of our most important encounters tend to fall under the strange but very true category – and in some way, Angela Perley and The Howlin’ Moons are a fine example of that. Formed in Columbus, OH in 2009, Angela Perley and The Howlin’ Moons consists of two longtime friends Billy Zehnal (bass), Chris Connor (guitar), Angela Perley’s high school classmate Steve Rupp (drums), and of course, Perley. Connor and Zehnal were introduced to Perley by Vital Music USA’s Fred Blitzer who had discovered Perley through some of Perley’s homemade demos that were eventually passed on to him. After Perley, Connor and Zehnal had met, Connor had recruited Rupp without knowing that Rupp and Perley were high school classmates and that they were familiar with each other. Strange but very true. 

Since the band’s formation, the quartet has been rather prolific, releasing three EPs and a full-length album album, Hey Kid earlier this year. And on each effort, the Columbus, OH-based act’s sound has gradually evolved. In fact, on the band’s latest effort the band’s sound possesses elements of folk, rock and country and has been compared favorably to the likes of Jenny Lewis, Alabama Shakes and Neko Case. 

And although those are all fair comparisons, when I heard “Ghosts,” the latest single off Hey Kid, I immediately thought of Stevie Nicks, if she had suddenly decided to do a pop-friendly/radio-friendly version of country – it has a twanginess but manages to be accessible to even those who aren’t too familiar with country. 

Lyrically, the song reveals that Perley is an exceptional songwriter as the song is partially about the ghosts of a failed relationship and the recognition that the end of that relationship was for the best.