Ghost of Panama - The Last Food on Earth

​Ghost of Panama

The Last Food on Earth
self-released; 2026

​By ​Dino DiMuro​​​

When you hear the story of a recording band, it often starts with a couple musicians jamming at home, then slowly expands with new members performing live shows and making albums. Ghost of Panama did it backwards: they were formed in 2022 as a full band, releasing several singles and touring Central and West London to support them. Though still occasionally playing live, the band has been reborn as a duo and proudly present their debut full-length album, The Last Food on Earth.

The members are Keith Welham (instruments/voice) and Cristabel Liu (lead voice/instruments). They've attempted to "carve out a distinctive sonic identity that deliberately sidesteps easy comparisons. Their sound channels a 1980's vibe infused with punk and post-punk energy while remaining firmly planted in the 2020's contemporary landscape." When you've been a music fan as long as me, you hear echoes in post-punk that easily stretch back another 20 years to bands like The Byrds. Aside from the jangly guitars and pop sheen, Ghost of Panama seems intent on playing with vocal arrangements, freely intercutting singing with recitation and often throwing voices to the extreme left and right.

Thematically this album is meant to "ambitiously trace the anatomy and life-cycle of a relationship from entrapment through guilt, acceptance, indecision and ultimately resolution." Though mostly recorded in a small West London studio, the album also features "found sounds" recorded across the city, which neatly blurs the line between studio-exactitude and messy reality. 

"The Lift" literally starts with an elevator bell, then kicks in with very 60's-influenced guitar pop, with B-sections embracing a totally different, spooky vibe. Cristabel Liu has a beautiful mid-range singing voice, equal parts Chrissie Hynde and Kate Bush. "Stockholm Syndrome Reversed" is a great title and is the first track to really experiment Bush-style with unusual vocal placements, as Liu seems to be running back and forth between two mics. Less poppy, this song has a smooth, jazzy piano-based arrangement, also showcasing cool bass and lead guitar. Just three minutes, and though I was sorry it ended, "Half-Life" seems to begin as a middle section to "Stockholm" with spoken word by Keith Welham. Regarding found sounds, the drums here have been replaced with loops of heavy breathing and a Geiger counter. Basically the song ping-pongs between acoustic instruments (guitar, piano), Welham's recitations and different varieties of Liu vocals. Very cool that the Geiger counter plays like castanets!

"Damage" re-embraces jangly guitar pop with rapidly-sung lyrics that evoke the duo of Garfunkel and Oates (minus the explicit imagery). Welham speaks again, and I'm wondering if one of his roles is to occasionally walk-on like a guest lecturer or poet. "The Ultimate Maybe" is a beautiful, folky love song with Liu's amazing voice totally commanding centerstage, bathed in picked acoustic and keys. Toward the end there's "laughter" that's probably some kind of pheasant. "Island" has a cool Pete Townshend-like tremolo guitar (Welham also talks like Peter, come to think of it) leading into a spiky, space rock ditty with Edge-like echoes.

"Siberia" has what sounds like Siberian cold winds mixed with teutonic chants, introducing electric keys for a jazz-rock groove along with Kate Bush-like audio experimentation. "Afterlife" has a twangy, bouncy riff, roiling bass and gospel-like keys setting the stage for an authoritative, take-no-prisoners vocal by Lui.

There's enough traditional sound here that the experimentation only increases the overall enjoyment of the songs, so I have no qualms about recommending!

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