Gemma Ballam will has released ‘Haunt Me’, turning the experience of being ghosted into a gritty alt-indie song. Her fifth release begins in a vulnerable place before guitars and drums bring more pressure to everything left unsaid.
Gemma has said the lyrics draw on several experiences from her life and felt like something she had needed to write for a long time. That comes through in writing that feels less like a detached retelling than something she has been carrying around. As the track gathers force, the initial hurt begins to sound closer to frustration.
Gritty guitars and a heavier turn
Gemma Ballam opens with an exposed introduction and first verse before the sound thickens around her. Gritty guitar and hard-hitting drums take over much of the remaining track, shifting the mood without losing the uncertainty established at the start.
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That change gives musical form to the frustration left behind by being ghosted. The early restraint leaves room for confusion, while the later sections refuse to keep that feeling quiet. By the final stretch, the rejection has become louder, angrier and far less contained.
Gemma’s vocals remain the clearest thread as the production grows denser. She rises with the added weight without being swallowed by it, keeping the lyric close even when the guitars and drums become more forceful. The contrast between exposed vocals and the harsher instrumental turn is where ‘Haunt Me’ finds its strongest tension.
Gemma worked with her producer and bandmates to build the track through layers and textures that serve the story. Those additions intensify the sound without obscuring the lyric beneath them. Each new element makes the sense of pressure harder to ignore.
The Florence Road reference fits the combination of vulnerable writing and guitar weight, while Julia Wolf is a useful touchpoint for the darker alt-pop atmosphere. The 1975 comparison feels most relevant in the polished alternative production and the way intimate writing expands into a fuller, more imposing arrangement.
‘Haunt Me’ review
The defining moment in ‘Haunt Me’ arrives when its exposed opening gives way to gritty guitar and harder drums. Gemma Ballam’s vocals stay clear through that shift, carrying the hurt without softening the frustration that follows. It is a song about ghosting that understands silence can become its own kind of pressure.
The later sections make the strongest impression. Gemma turns private rejection into something louder and less contained, while the soaring vocals keep the song personal rather than theatrical. By the end, being ghosted no longer sounds like quiet disappointment. It sounds like something demanding an answer.
You can listen to ‘Haunt Me’ here and follow Gemma Ballam on Instagram.
