Luke Top’s Eclectic “Poltergeist” Marries World and Pop Influences (premiere)

Luke Top‘s “Poltergeist” offers an unexpected confluence of influences, that range from reggae to pop and exotica. It’s rare to find a song that is at once so familiar and deeply original.

Top says, “When I think about the sound of this track I picture 1970’s Dutch reggae played after a John Bonham drum lesson (not that I’m much of a Zeppelin fan), with a synth lineup ripped out of a William Onyeabor studio photo or a Les Baxter record. It’s stamped with psychedelic tape delays that swing upwards into space, all while conjuring up a self-reflexive sermon about lowly inner demons. This song began in a dream, so it has always had this odd, REM-cycle energy floating around inside of it. It was self-recorded under quarantine in my new home on the outskirts of the San Fernando Valley, California. There I’m surrounded by retired KROQ-era new wave musicians, Juggalos, and a bagel factory. In other words, a perfect storm of creative opportunity.”

Proceeds from streams and sales go to the Loveland Foundation, which helps Black women gain access to mental health professionals.