Ghostwoman – ‘Welcome to the Civilized World’ album review: Soundtrack to the end of times
When Ghostwoman released Hindight is 50/50 back in 2023, Evan Uschenko said it “finally captures the true nature of the band.” At that point, his project with Ille van Dessel had truly reached its peak. Or had it?
Welcome to the Civilized World is about the world we live in. That much is obvious from the title alone. But it also comes from somewhere a little less figurative, with the duo navigating losing friends and other pieces of uncertainty, all the despair making way for something rawer, something closer to home; something with less of an ability to sit still in the midst of it all.
“[It’s] inspired by the absurdity of human behaviour and the circus that is life: sometimes feels like being in a room with no floor,” says Uschenko. This sense of foreboding is immediate on the opening track, before jumping headfirst into the significance of omens and specific moments in time on ‘Alive’. ‘That Jesus’ continues Ghostwoman’s current restlessness, and ‘5 Gold Pieces’ epitomises the sheer openness they’re opting for here – recorded as a test on an old tape machine and giving it that swirling, driving underground feel.
Using older equipment with “a bunch of life and soul in it until we’ve used it all up” clearly served the messages and themes well, coasting the lines of Belgium and Canada as a trusty friend they could rely on to tell the secrets of their hearts and minds. Sometimes, inspiration was as simple as Uschenko’s dog, Levon, bringing in pieces of simpler adoration amid the chaos.
But there are moments of quiet contemplation, too. Moments like ‘Dime a Dozen’, stand distinctively from Hindsight is 50/50, but also with some inexplicable pull towards it. Grunge-like and dreary, ‘Dime a Dozen’ wallows with a sluggish arrangement, with lyrics that almost feel accidentally stumbled upon in the fast streams of a lingering storm.
Things heat up from there once again, with ‘When You All Were Young’ and ‘From Now On’ almost venturing into goth rock territory. But these strange deviations are what keep you there, even when certain parts fail to grip you at all. Because Welcome to the Civilised World is far from perfect, but the songs that stick out further than the rest are enough to stop intrigue from waning. But maybe it’s because there’s also that distant resignation that serves as more of a pull than a barrier.
And it’s written all over this latest record like a neon sign. The reminder (or belief) that nothing matters – the world is in ruins. But if that’s how it has to be, at least there’s music. “The band will continue to play as the ship goes down.”
Defining track: ‘Alive’ – a fleeting moment of hope amid the broader wallow that says nothing is worth it if we’re all doomed.
For fans of: existential crises.
A concluding comment from a Rough Trade employee: “This is the stuff!”
Release date: September 5th, 2025 | Producer: Ghostwoman | Label: Full Time Hobby
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