Track of the Day: Deflecting Ghosts – Broken (2025)
What began as a creative refuge and catharsis for musician Luke Fitzgerald during the “final chapter of his previous band”, Deflecting Ghosts soon took form in a hard-hitting rock trio from Kansas. Joined by his long-time collaborator and wife, Rhema, and drummer Austin, Deflecting Ghosts took on a new shape, sound, and style. Drawing on decades of experience as a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, Luke Fitzgerald meets Rhema’s raw bass and Austin’s intuitive drumming in an intricate web of music. The latest addition to their discography is the single ‘Broken’.
Following the 2024 singles ‘Lost My Mind’ and ‘Passion of the Scorned’, Deflecting Ghosts step into 2025 with their energetic, eclectic ‘Broken’. Produced with Adrian Breakspear (mixing) and Maor Appelbaum (mastering), ‘Broken’ pulls audiences to the days of 90s hard rock and metal. Tipping their hat to artists like Seether, Three Days Grace and Limp Bizkit, the melody breathes life into those mosh-pit moments where your heart soars and your soul sings.
I might compare Deflecting Ghosts to older acts, but there is something intriguing about this trio that puts them comfortably on any 90s hard rock or melodic metal playlist. Tossed into a whirlpool of chaos, the crashing drums slice across a bold bass and scorching guitars bring fire to an already ferocious track. Interestingly, as the music whips your head with frenzied insanity, vulnerability lingers beneath like a whisper of tender fragility.
When I was younger – I’m talking late 90s/early 2000s – a friend said to me that alternative and hard rock bands make even sadder music than boyband pop ballads. Instead of saying, “Oh, I miss you, please come back”, heavier melodies reached into the delicate core of painful human tragedy, caressing with understanding or shoving with discontent. When speaking about ‘Broken’, Fitzgerald explains:
“’Broken’ is a raw and emotionally charged track that explores the turning point between denial and self-confrontation. Written from the perspective of someone observing their own unravelling, it captures the weight of personal reckoning after years of addiction and inner conflict… a powerful reflection on surrender, struggle, and the long road toward self-acceptance.”
Find out more about Deflecting Ghosts on their Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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