Local Indie Act AC Deathstrike is Back from the Grave with new single, "I'm a Ghost (Boo!)" - JME

Now in its 21^st year, AC Deathstrike was created by singer-songwriter Alex Dougherty in 2003 when he was 17. After the release of 2009’s debut Last Picture Show (when AC Deathstrike was part and parcel of the Skinny Records collective and label), Dougherty became an active and participating presence on the local live indie-rock scene.

In the years since, AC Deathstrike has released a slew of LPs and EPs featuring main deathstriker Dougherty with various supporting musicians. In 2018, the band released their Wizard/Witch EP followed by two releases in 2020: the Suffer for the Best EP and the full-length St. Lucia of the Desert.

Released in October of 2024, the single “I’m a Ghost (BOO!)” finds Dougherty returning in fine form, and highlights his skills (when he wants to) at writing somber-yet-soaring melodic rock with lyrics seemingly born (or hindered by) nostalgia and unsolicited reflection: “Celebration’s end I’m going home now / See you next year when we’re all alone now / When your ghost lost its way / Found the coast, never gonna change who we are.”

Pinned together by a simple mellotron melody, “I’m a Ghost (BOO!)” plays like a rollicking take on shoegaze, particularly with scads of spectral, processed guitar. For the band’s return, AC Deathstrike is narrowed down to a two-person lineup of Dougherty (vocals, guitar, mellotron, bass, synths and production) and drummer and engineer Joe Gardella. The accompanying video for “I’m a Ghost (BOO!)” leans into the minimal: a digitally-beheaded suited figure (ostensibly Dougherty) holding a mic and pantomiming to the tune. The video would fit well into a group visual arts show; understandable as Dougherty (who works in film and photography) views AC Deathstrike as, first and foremost, a multimedia art project.

Longevity and persistence seem to be the prime principles of the ever-fickle and shifting subterranean scene that Dougherty and AC Deathstrike exist within. And his re-arrival with “I’m a Ghost (BOO!)” is a welcome visitation from a longtime local indie auteur.

“I’m a Ghost (BOO!)” is streaming on all major platforms and is available for purchase here. Follow AC Deathstrike on Instagram.