Ghosts

The Forensic Report is a collaboration between Paul Hawkins, songwriter with cult London band The Awkward Silences (Blang Records) and Czech born London singer and guitarist Misha Chylkova, often performing under the moniker of Zipless Ellipsis, supplemented by contributions by Ian Button (Papernut Cambridge, Death in Vegas) and Darren Hayman (Hefner).

Debut EP Ghosts was created as a result of the COVID lockdown, as Hawkins – who is disabled with underlying health conditions – fled London to take refuge at his mother's house in the countryside whilst Chylkova found herself locked down in London. Hawkins wrote piano songs tackling loss, anger and a search for hope at a hopeless time and sent them to Chylkova who added fuzzing guitars, e-bow, bass, haunting vocals and exquisite harmonies. Hayman added a Wurlitzer and bass to opener Where is Your Ghost? and the songs were finally sent to Ian Button added drums, production and further instrumentation.

Opener "Where is Your Ghost?" taps into the loss of Hawkins' father from cancer in January 2019 and what he describes as "the way that grief can suddenly move you from scepticism to a desire to believe in the supernatural" whilst "The Level of the Sea" narrates a failure to prepare for inevitable disaster. Finally "They Made a Film About Spike Island" captures a narrator wrapped up in nostalgia that they "miss the futures of the past" longing for a world that still dreams of jet packs and exploration of the stars.

Hawkins suggested the name The Forensic Report after reading the autobiography of leading forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd, Hawkins explained the name appealed because "the times we were living in meant there was suddenly a sudden acceptance that multiple deaths were a daily occurrence and I was fascinated by the way that Shepherd wrote about Forensic Reports as something that, whilst bleak, cold and scientific, could provide a source of answers and closure and an opportunity to make sense of tragedy". Mournful and bleak but melodic and catchy, the Forensic Report try to craft something beautiful in the wake of sad and strange times.