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Certain songs were made for celebration; for throwing your hands up and your head back and submitting yourself to euphoria’s warm, inviting grasp. Happiness is an infectious experience, and songs like Ghost Lion’s “Shot the Sun Down” help it to spread like a contagion through any room.
Are you ready to dance?
On the run from shadows and arrows
We’re the slingshot kids shooting pharaohs
No more splitting rocks on the chain gang
Picked the locks now we got a parade gang
And I know that you got something to hide
But I found our way out, out of the night
Listen: “Shot The Sun Down” – Ghost Lion
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Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Shot the Sun Down,” the latest offering from Los Angeles-based indie pop/rock project Ghost Lion and their debut EP Dim Echo (out 11/11/2016). The duo-turned-four-piece band consisting of South Florida native Blake Hanley (vocals, guitar), Bolivia native Enrique Lara (drums/congas), Mike Torres (bass) and Chris Kapica (keys/synths) injects flavorful fun and authentic heart into their music, resulting in powerful songs that transcend the boundaries of indie pop/rock.
“Shot the Sun Down” is the fourth release from Ghost Lion since the band (formerly known as Kin Cayo) introduced themselves with the heavy, intimate and acoustically-driven “Broken Glass” in August. Since then, the songs “Way Up” and “Wolves” have firmly established Ghost Lion’s penchant for upbeat, “beachy, ocean” vibes (Impose Magazine), “haunting folk” balladry (Free Bike Valet), and evocative lyrics that offer listeners a message to hold onto.
On “Shot the Sun Down,” that message is one of freedom and determination. Ghost Lion embrace a tropical bouncing melody as they chant for equality, empowerment, and more:
We shot the sun down, we shot the sun down
Forget the money, we got the honey
We’re bound to no land, starting our own dance
Ghettos invading, liberated
Oh, oh way oh, oh way oh
This time I’m telling you
We shot the sun down, we shot the sun down
““Shot The Sun Down” is an anthem about breaking through glass ceilings and fighting for what’s right even against all odds,” explains the band. “It’s about the hope that no matter how dark it may seem now, love and justice will always win in the end.”
No matter how dark it may seem now, love and justice will always win in the end.
In dark times, we all need something to believe in. With an undeniable spirit of resiliency, Ghost Lion’s “Shot the Sun Down” is an anchor, a message to all of us – the disenfranchised, the privileged, the few and the many – that hard times will pass. Sunshine doesn’t always come easy – there are few things one can achieve all by oneself – but when we fight for something together, our individual voices grow louder, and stronger. Then, we are heard.
Bring your shepherd, we’re not against him
We’re the black sheep against the system
Sticking up the culture of A-lists
Locked it up, now we’re flipping the playlist
“Shot the Sun Down” could not come at a better time. The narrator sings of being the black sheep against the system, insisting he is “not against” the shepherd; the goal is not to perpetuate enmity and hate, but rather to inspire an environment wherein everyone may come to the table, together. Extending a metaphorical hand, this song is an olive branch to create a better world. “We shot the sun down,” doing the impossible. “We’re bound to no land, starting our own dance,” self-empowered.
Bask in the glow of Ghost Lion’s seductive light. Catchy in its enchanting promise of a brighter tomorrow, “Shot the Sun Down” speaks to the strength and endurance of the human spirit. It is by all accounts a song for celebration. Whether you’re celebrating freedom, life, love or something else, let Ghost Lion embrace and enhance your euphoria.
Stream or purchase Dim Echo (out 11/11/2016), and keep an eye out for more inspired music from this 2016 Artist to Watch!
Connect with Ghost Lion on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Discover more new music on Atwood’s Picks
cover photo: Ghost Lion © Cory Bailey
