Lankum have announced a new stand-alone single, a cover of The Specials‘ 1981 hit ‘Ghost Town’.
The track was initially crafted for Oona Doherty‘s dance production ‘Specky Clark’ at Sadler’s Wells earlier this year, and is set to be released on 12” vinyl on 30th January 2026.
The accompanying video, directed by Leonn Ward, was filmed on location in County Wicklow and spans eight minutes. It features cinematography by Robbie Ryan.
“Ghost Town came to us through some curious circumstances,” Lankum explain. “Oona Doherty, who we were familiar with through her phenomenal dance work on the video for Gilla Band’s ‘Shoulderblades’, contacted us and told us about a new show she was putting together. It was about her great-great-grandfather being sent to Belfast as a child to live with his aunts and work in an abattoir. She wanted a new piece of music for the show, for a party scene set on Halloween night, and told us she wanted it to start out indistinguishable and woozy, before developing into the very recognisable track by The Specials.
“At first we were slightly reticent, since a cover of a ska tune wasn’t something we’d usually ever consider, but after a bit of deliberation we decided we’d give it a shot, and the result took us on an incredibly enjoyable journey that had us gleefully playing with synthesisers and drum machines in Hellfire Studios, trying to come up with the scaldiest 90s sounding techno for the outro section of the track.”
They add, “We’re very excited with the end product and delighted that Oona approached us and challenged us to step out of our comfort zone. It’s an honour to be releasing a version of this iconic tune, and it feels eerily relevant to be referencing yet again themes of urban decay, economic hardship and working class frustration.”
Leave a Reply