Interview: Love Ghost Finding Catharsis in the Ashes on 13
Interview with Finnegan Bell of Love Ghost | By Tara Lakatos
On 13, Love Ghost leans into an intimate, acoustic-driven sound to explore childhood trauma, generational pain, heartbreak, and the uneasy possibility of starting over. In this conversation, Finnegan Bell opens up about the memories behind the music, the wildfire imagery in “Turpentine This House,” the vulnerability of sharing deeply personal songs, and why he hopes listeners find something of themselves in the record.
Tara Lakatos: I was watching the video premiere earlier, and these songs are heavy. There is a lot of emotion to take in. What was it like writing them?
Finnegan Bell: It was definitely very emotional. I had a lot to process when I was writing the songs—experiences I needed to get off my chest. Therapy is expensive, and I’m not really in a position to do it right now, so writing music is my outlet for the time being.
Tara Lakatos: The album is called 13, and so much of it seems connected to things that happened when you were younger. In “Turpentine This House,” you talk about watching your family’s house and neighborhood burn and feeling happy to see it happen. Is that about watching your past burn away rather than celebrating the destruction itself?
Finnegan Bell: Absolutely. That’s pretty much exactly what it is: being happy to see the dead memories and experiences from my past burn away in a natural disaster. I absolutely respect that it’s a tragedy, but when you go through something like that, you have a very personal interpretation of it. For me, it was about burning away trauma and memories. I was also fascinated by the fire itself. Literal balls of fire were flying through the air over my car, which was packed with all my belongings, as I drove down the street. Hopefully, I’ll never see anything like that again. I was happy to see those memories burn. I wasn’t happy to be homeless.
Tara Lakatos: It sounds as though that experience also gave you an opportunity to rebuild your life from the ashes.
Finnegan Bell: I’ve always been a very nomadic person. I’ve jumped around a lot, so if there’s one thing I know, it’s how to start over at the drop of a dime and create a new world around myself. I’ve had to reinvent myself many times.
Tara Lakatos: I loved the Anime video for “Pointless.” One line that stood out was “Reality’s not what they promised.” What does that mean to you?
Finnegan Bell: It can be about the shattering of innocence. The perspective you had when you were younger gets jaded as you grow up and start seeing things more soberly. But I was also talking about how there’s no possible way to predict how your life will turn out. That can be a catalyst for sorrow, but also for hope. You can be in a horrible situation, and the next week everything could start going your way. I have to remind myself of that constantly. I was thinking about love, too—seeing the world through sepia-tinted glasses when everything seems perfect. That isn’t necessarily reality; it’s what you’re attaching to reality. The space between my subconscious mind and the world around me gets blurred quite a bit, sometimes intentionally for creative purposes. There’s a political interpretation of that line, too, but I won’t get too into it.
Tara Lakatos: “Into the Woods” and “Something in the Water” were the first two singles introducing 13. Why did you choose those songs?
Finnegan Bell: “Into the Woods” was the first song I wrote when I set out to make this Midwest grunge, acoustic emo album. It was the first song for me, and I wanted listeners to enter that creative headspace in the same way. It was the firstborn son, so I wanted people to meet the firstborn son first. “Turpentine This House” and “Pointless” are more dialed-in interpretations of what I was trying to say, but I wanted to save that knockout punch for later. “Something in the Water” is about generational trauma. It captures the sensitivity and vulnerability of the album, and that’s why I wanted to release it.
Tara Lakatos: Artists often talk about turning pain into something beautiful. Do you ever feel pressure to stay connected to that pain because it has become part of your artistic identity?
Finnegan Bell: On some level, yes. I can be a bit of a masochist and put myself in painful situations, so I have plenty of material to write about. When you live with a lot of trauma, it can start to feel normal. You almost expect everything to go badly—to be dangerous or messed up—and that can become a reality you’re manifesting because you’re always thinking about the possibility of trauma happening again. I remember when I was diagnosed with PTSD, psychologists talked to me about how someone’s brain can get frozen around trauma. For me, it was almost like wanting to slay the lion: putting myself in situations where I could prove myself in ways I couldn’t when I was younger. That led to more bad situations. It’s something I’m aware of.
Tara Lakatos: I think it matters that you talk about those experiences. Men’s mental health, in particular, still isn’t discussed openly enough, and music can show people that vulnerability is okay.
Finnegan Bell: Definitely. Men’s mental health is a topic I have a lot of experience with. And a shout-out to all the strong women who go through mental health struggles, too. We’re all human.
Tara Lakatos: With 13 being so personal, does the thought of performing these songs live feel different from performing your earlier material?
Finnegan Bell: Absolutely. I had a little record-release gathering for friends and family. It wasn’t really a show; I just played the album in the room. It brought up feelings I wasn’t expecting. When I was writing and recording, I was alone late at night in my studio, just me and the computer. I think that’s what made it so raw and vulnerable. I didn’t have to hold back my emotions because someone else was there. Sharing something that personal with even a small audience affected me in a way I hadn’t anticipated. Performing the songs live sounds scary, but it also sounds brave. If people connect with the music and want to hear it live, I wouldn’t shy away from that.
Tara Lakatos: You’ve collaborated with a lot of artists in the past. Are there any collaborations on this album?
Finnegan Bell: No. This is just a Love Ghost album. That’s pretty different for me, but I think it speaks to the vulnerability of the record.
Tara Lakatos: You worked with Mike Summers, whose background includes major hip-hop artists. What did he bring to the recording process?
Finnegan Bell: Working with Mike is always a pleasure and a privilege. We worked together quite a bit a few years ago, after the pandemic. He moved back to Kansas City, I moved to Mexico, and we reunited remotely. Because of our history, things flowed effortlessly. We have an intuitive understanding of each other, and we were very intentional about the songs. I made a visual mood board and a PDF describing what each song was about and how I wanted it to feel. He got it immediately. The album also builds on a song we worked on together a few years ago called “Angelic,” which is an acoustic, heartbreak-emo ballad. That’s a world I connect with.
Tara Lakatos: How do you think fans will respond to an album that sounds different from your earlier material?
Finnegan Bell: As a genre-bending artist, I’ve dealt with that before. Some people might not understand it, but the people who need to hear music like this are really going to get it. I look at the long comments and strong reactions to gauge how a project resonates. I’d rather someone say, “I hate your fucking song so much. I’m never going to listen to you again,” than not care at all. The worst thing for an artist is indifference. You want a strong emotional connection, whether it’s positive or negative. I hope people love it, but if they hate it, that’s okay too. I just hope it reaches someone who needs to hear it.
Tara Lakatos: Is there a track you think listeners might unexpectedly fall in love with?
Finnegan Bell: That’s always hard for me to gauge. Sometimes I feel strongly about a song and put more money into promoting it, and no one cares. Then a song I made in 30 minutes gets millions of plays on Spotify and YouTube, and I have no idea why it resonates. I’m always excited to see which songs people naturally gravitate toward and find themselves in. There are a few on this album that could surprise me.
Tara Lakatos: What three words would you use to describe 13?
Finnegan Bell: Sensitive, intense, and heartfelt. Also, moody and dark at times. I guess that’s five words.
Tara Lakatos: If someone had never listened to Love Ghost before, which song would you tell them to start with?
Finnegan Bell: “Turpentine This House,” the video that just came out today. It represents where my head is right now and what I’m trying to create. I’m proud of it.
Tara Lakatos: Looking beyond the album release, do you have any touring plans?
Finnegan Bell: We have some pretty big festivals we’re going to announce next year. I can’t say anything yet, but I’m excited. We’ve also booked a European tour for April next year, and we’ll announce those dates at the beginning of January.
Tara Lakatos: I love seeing shows in Europe. The audiences seem to engage with music differently. Have you noticed that as a performer?
Finnegan Bell: It’s true. The hospitality at the venues is also really accommodating. It’s super cool.
Tara Lakatos: Before we wrap up, is there anything else you want fans to know about 13?
Finnegan Bell: I hope you check it out. It’s a really personal project. I engineered it myself and worked remotely with producer Mike Summers between Los Angeles and Kansas City. If you need something to help process your emotions, this is music for that. But don’t let it weigh you down or get too much in your head, either. Stay kind, and don’t let the world break your spirit.
Turpentine This House Video https://youtu.be/RjD5P7LN7EI?si=WfYMz-zZUJ5m9doX
Pointless Music Video https://youtu.be/4ao63vYfSJM?si=xPY0eEO-6FuskBKS
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