“We Came From the Stars” is The Ghost of Helags debut album and is nothing short of a synth-pop dreamscape of drama, romance and escapism. Teresa Woischiski and John Alexander Ericson who make up the band as the singer-songwriters and producers hail from Sweden and are now based in Berlin. Woischiski and Ericson intertwine their Scandinavian origins with the hearty electronic sounds that have held up the music scene of their new home in Berlin. 

The album opens strongly with the first track “Chemistry” The ambience and atmosphere of this song creates sounds as though it’s a tune belonging to models bobbing down the catwalk in full monochrome. The lyrics are not so sterile though as there is a sense of fearlessness and hope in the lyrics, “There’s nothing left out there that makes me scared” combined with the slick vocal this offers a feeling that we have all experienced over the pandemic. For me, Chemistry is certainly a standout track that sets the scene for the whole album. Although the next few tracks are all somewhat similar, they bleed into each other perfectly giving the listener an album experience full of cinematic beats that hang onto the cutting vocal and bold lyricism. 

Another standout single “bye-bye Tokyo” picks up the album’s momentum. The light beat brings forward Woischiski’s sharp vocal which reminds me of Lauren Mayberry of CHVRCHES. Again, the lyrics are simplistic yet they hit you. My favourite lyric has to be, “I’ll bring home the neon lights” this offers a clear image of the Tokyo night sky lighting up Berlin. 

“I’m in the Dark, Honey” is another standout song that is cinematic and slow which would perfectly fit the ending of a movie. There is an emotive longingness in the vocal throughout the song. This one is a collaboration with Brighton based singer Hayley Ross. Their vocals together are a match made in heaven.