Album Info Hide Show Artist: Cherry Ghost Album: Thirst For Romance Released: UK, 2022 Tracklist: A1 Thirst For Romance A2 4am A3 Mountain Bird B1 People Help The People B2 Roses B3 Dead Man’s Suit C1 Alfred The Great C2 Here Come The Romans C3 False Alarm D1 Mary On The Mend D2 Mathematics Info About Buying Vinyl From Our Record Store We are a small independent record store located at 211 High St, Preston in Melbourne, Australia (North of Northcote, between Thornbury & Reservoir) We buy and sell new and used vinyl records – if you have a collection you’d like to sell please click here . We ship Australia wide for a flat rate of $10 for standard shipping or $15 for express post. Free Shipping for orders $150 and over. You can also pick up your order in store, just select Local Pickup at the checkout. We also ship internationally – prices vary depending on weight and location. We ship vinyls in thick, rigid carboard mailers with a crushable zone on either side, and for extra safety we bubble wrap the records. In stock vinyl is usally shipped next business day, please check the availability field at the top of the product page to see whether the record is currently in stock or if it is available from the supplier as well as estimated shipping times. If you order an in stock item together with a pre order or back order (listed as available from supplier rather than in stock) then the order will be shipped together when all items arrive. If you would like the in stock items shipped first please place two separate orders or contact us to arrange shipping items separately. We are strongly committed to customer satisfaction. If you experience any problems with your order contact us so we can rectify the situation. If the record arrives damaged or doesn’t arrive we will cover the cost of replacing or returning the record. If you change your mind you have 30 days to return your record but you must cover the cost of returning it to the store. You can contact our Melbourne record shop at (03) 9939 3807 or at [email protected] Happy Listening! Description Hide Show Some records feel like they arrive fully formed, quietly confident, and Thirst For Romance is one of them. The debut from Cherry Ghost, the project led by Bolton songwriter Simon Aldred, landed in July 2007 on Heavenly Recordings and settled in like an old friend. It wasnt a shouty arrival. Its the sort of album that wins you over with slow-blooming melodies, widescreen arrangements and a voice that sounds lived in beyond its years. Aldred writes with a painters eye, always zeroing in on little details that say more than big pronouncements. People Help the People has become the calling card, not only because of its beautiful chorus but because it carries a plainspoken compassion that cuts through noise. The song took on a second life a few years later when Birdy covered it and sent it up the charts, but its worth returning to the original to hear the way the strings cradle Aldreds vocals, the piano anchoring the sentiment without tipping into syrup. The album moves between dusky barroom hush and big Northern skies. Mathematics flickers with a resigned sway, the kind of tune you catch yourself humming on a late train home. Roses opens with a tender lilt, all soft light and shadow, then swells into a chorus that feels like rain on warm bitumen. Dead Mans Suit leans into the noir edges of Aldreds writing, with guitars that shuffle rather than strut and a rhythm section that knows when to hold its nerve. None of it feels fussy. The songs breathe. You can hear space between the notes, and that space is where the records heart sits. Sonically, theres a clear affection for classic songwriter craft, but it never tips into retro cosplay. Think of the melancholy romance of Richard Hawley, a touch of Elbows patient build, even echoes of The Walker Brothers in the way the strings swoop and sigh. Aldreds voice carries a grain that suits that palette. He can lift to a clean, bright line, then settle back into a conversational murmur. You believe him. Thats half the magic. Thirst For Romance arrived to warm notices in the UK, and for good reason. Its an album of proper songs, the sort that hold their shape when you strip them back to guitar and voice, yet they also reward time with headphones. One minute youre catching a glint of glockenspiel, the next a low brass rumble or a flourish of organ that sneaks up on a chorus. The production keeps the spotlight on the songwriting, but it isnt shy about colour. That balance is why the record still feels sturdy today. Listening now, theres also a strong sense of place. Not in a touristy way. More the feeling of northern towns after closing time, sodium lamps on wet streets, the kindness and bite that share the same breath. Aldred sketches characters with a gentle hand, and even when hes at his bleakest hes never cruel. That generosity is baked into the records tone. Its part of why People Help the People resonated beyond indie circles, and why the album has aged so gracefully. If youre crate-digging, this is a release that truly sings on wax. The arrangements open up, the low end sits warm and present, and those strings feel wonderfully tactile. Thirst For Romance vinyl is a lovely way to live with these songs, and it has become a quiet favourite among collectors who appreciate a well-cut, orchestral indie record that isnt show-offy. If youre hunting Cherry Ghost vinyl in a Melbourne record store, keep an eye out, or buy Cherry Ghost records online if your local has moved their stock. It also sits nicely alongside other Cherry Ghost albums on vinyl if youre building a shelf of thoughtful British songwriting. Seventeen-odd years on, Thirst For Romance still carries that twilight glow. It doesnt clamour for attention. It doesnt need to. Put it on at home, let the room fall still, and by the time Mathematics rolls around youll remember why some albums become companions. For anyone who loves lyrical detail, rich but unfussy arrangements and a voice you can trust, this is one to keep within reach. And for those of us in vinyl records Australia land, its exactly the sort of record you hope to stumble across while flicking through a new arrivals bin, only to realise youve been looking for it all along. Product Reviews Hide Show Write a Review