With pumpkin-spiced lattes and dark-shrouded nights coming in abundance, it is fair to say that the spooky season is in full swing — something which Brocarde caters the perfect soundtrack for with her brand new single, “Haunted”. Showing us exactly how the track earned its namesake, “Haunted” begins with a thunderous clap of drums and gritty guitar strings, slowly descending into a cacophony of rock that shakes at your ear drums as well as your soul in perfect time.

Making for the ultimate disrupted love story, Brocarde is seen in the track’s accompanying music video singing to a ghost who she confesses her undying love to. Letting anger charge her lyricism, the track divulges Brocarde’s frustration that her lover will never be truly accessible — a poignant perspective on the nature of ghosts that is never truly explored. Seeking out her ghosts as opposed to hiding from them, Brocarde delivers a powerful performance in which her penchant for biting melodies is tempered perfectly with her subtle cut of comedy and thought-provoking storytelling.

To celebrate the release of the single, we sat with Brocarde to discuss the real ghost in “Haunted”, the rock artists journey so far within the industry and what she hopes to accomplish next. For more information, head to brocarde.com. Alternatively, you can visit her Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. For the full interview and to stream the video now, scroll below…

Hey Brocarde! How are you feeling? Where are we speaking to you from?
I’m feeling with half a heavy heart and a couple of mitten-covered fingers! Typically at this time of day, I’d be dusting the cobwebs off my coffin but as it’s nearly Halloween it’s currently at the undertaker’s undergoing it’s annual buff and polish. It’s such a pain to travel around in so they are fitting it with some sparkly supersonic rims so I can ride it down to the local supermarket. I’m considering starting a petition for corpse parking as I’ve got into a few near punch-ups with hairy bikers for using the motorcycle bays.

How has this past year been for you? What have been your highlights?
I’m a personal fan of any year with 22 in it, and since this is the first one since 1922, it’s a bit of a riot! The highlights for me have been finding a bat-shaped biscuit in a packet of hob nobs, exploring the paranormal world in my podcast “Boo It’s Brocarde” and of course releasing my new single “Haunted”.

Let’s start at the beginning, how did you first get into music?
As my five-year-old self stood hopelessly bashing a triangle at the school assembly, I knew I was destined for bigger things. After briefly dabbling with the recorder, I realised I wanted more from life than a yearly recital of “Twinkle, twinkle, like star.”. When I was younger I loved to perform, I loved being on stage and I loved everything creative but most of all I loved writing. It was a valuable tool for me, to get everything I was dealing with internally written down and to sing it out, that was my freedom of expression. For someone who struggled with self-image and being introverted, being on stage empowered me and it was where I came alive, it made me feel fearless. I did any type of performing I could, acting, dancing, and theatre, but it was the songwriting that drew me into the world of music. It gave me a voice, where theatre couldn’t, I found excitement in performing my own songs and with the help of the internet I found I could be an artist in my own right, I didn’t have to play a character in someone else’s story. I dabbled briefly in the world of “pop” music but found myself being steered in a direction that I hated, I started to feel manufactured like I actually didn’t have my own voice after all, I was told to look and act a certain way and I rebelled against that. I decided to run away to LA to “find myself”, it was there that I met some awesome people that opened my eyes up to a whole new world, I wrote the songs I’d always dreamed of writing and the rest is history.

How did you discover your sound? What were your inspirations?
A big part of discovering my own sound was ignoring any rules or preconceived ideas, ignoring every other artist and just focusing on what I wanted to say. I found that my sound was defined by what I wanted to share, I orchestrated my emotions, so anger and frustration took me to the depths of rock and metal and my vulnerably played out with delicate classical instruments, that’s why my music is such a melting pot because there’s so many elements of my personality and so many varied experiences that have made me who I am today. Any situation has the potential to be inspiring and it’s important to remember that.

Congratulations on the release of “Haunted”! What was your mindset like when writing this track?
Experimental, adventurous and open to new experiences, I literally wanted to change the record, I was bored of human nature and wanted to enter another realm. I had experienced some pretty earth-shattering paranormal activity and it really inspired me to write “Haunted”, it was a perspective I’ve never vocalised before, so it felt fresh and something I was dying to share.

What were you aiming to create?
I wanted to share myself and what I was experiencing at the time, every song starts with that, and this was no different.

How did you come up with the concept?
I wouldn’t say anything was conceptualised, it just is. Realistically speaking as a songwriter I’ll take inspiration from wherever and whoever I can, in the past I’ve got scared and worried of running out of inspiration, after all humans can be predictable and behaviour patterns repeat and you can’t afford to sound like a broken record! If you are closed then you experience less and I’ve always wanted a life full of unique experiences. The song “Haunted” was my way of making sense of being introduced to a ghost, being an artist is such a huge part of who I am and I was intrigued to see a spirit would warm to the creative side of me and even bigger than that, could music be another way of touching those long forgotten and reaching into the afterlife?

Who was the first person you played the track to when it was finished? What was their reaction like?
Edwardo, the ghost, as he was my muse and the song is about him, it felt only right to share it with him first. As candle flickering is one of Edwardo’s favourite ways of communication, I thought I’d fill the room with candles, clenching my songwriting book I cautiously mumbled the first few lyrics… Edwardo didn’t appear… I carried on blindly, each time getting more and more intense with my delivery. As I sang the lyric “Haunted, ghosted, so alive but dead inside” every candle in the room went out and warmth rushed over my body. That’s when I knew the song had his seal of approval and from that moment I was happy to share it with the world.

What do you hope people will take away from it?
I hope the music video provides an insight into how it feels to be touched by a paranormal force. I’ve always adored the horror movie aesthetic but this is like a real-life horror story and I hope it connects with some people on whatever level. Outside of that, I hope people can adapt my lyrics to their own circumstances, and interpret them in a way that touches them personally. Although the lyrics are inspired by my personal experiences, they can be flipped and be very universal and apply to any forbidden or unconventional relationship.

Are there other genres you would like to explore within your artistry?
I know really think in terms of genres, I guess I like to leave no stone unturned. Naturally, because of the emotion elements I can see myself warming to country and southern gothic style music, although I won’t be loosing my accent and doing a tribute to Dolly Parton. Who knows, you may find me retired on a ranch in Nashville, with a collection of bedazzled cowboy boots, hugging a goat, strumming a guitar and howling at the moon. The most important thing for me is not to limit myself and be limited, how you are today is never how you are tomorrow.

And finally, where would you like to be in five years time?
With any luck I’ll be in 2027 and not lost in time. Although if Dr Who rocks up in a Tardis I wouldn’t say No to a spot of time travelling, I often think I was born in the wrong decade, I would’ve been a good Victorian, or a bad Victorian, or maybe I’d just steal the costumes and aesthetics and keep the 2022 values, it would be ideal to have one foot in the future and one foot in the past.