Walrus Ghost is the alias under which Brooklyn-based artist Christian Banks creates instrumental music blended with elements of post-rock, ambient, folk, electronica, and lo-fi. After a debut full length album in 2014, and a follow-up collaborative album with jazz guitarist Max Frankl released by Hush Hush Records in 2018 (featured here), Banks took a hiatus from releasing music while dealing with various health issues. The project returns in grand form this summer with a lovely new record entitled If You Could Be Here Now.
As consumers of music in an age of prolific streaming, it is easy to forget that the time, energy, and circumstances to make art are never guaranteed and are precious when they do converge and allow artists to create. As we move on to the next thing in the hours, weeks, months, and years after listening to an album, the lives of the artists go on and often in ways they don’t expect. That was apparently very much the case here, with Banks quietly persevering through his struggles and continuing to record in his home studio. The music on If You Could Be Here Now may be new to our ears, but for Banks it is bonded to a significant and challenging part of his life over a period of years.
Like most things in life, putting these songs together didn’t play out as I imagined due to realities of everyday living. I went through some serious health problems and big life changes while making all of this music; some experiences that forever affected my general perspective and shaped the tone of this album … I aim to make music that will be lasting and timeless, but I also hope this album echoes a kind of meditation on both the collective human condition and where I’m at in life as myself in this moment.
Christian Banks aka Walrus Ghost
Given the background and circumstances of the record, one might be forgiven for expecting something dark or heavy, however If You Could Be Here Now is anything but. The tone is warm and inviting, with bright tones and uplifting melodies ebbing and flowing from gentle vignettes to soaring atmospherics. It may be a record informed by its past, but this is music that ultimately bestows a positive and hopeful outlook on the listener.
Links: https://hushhushrecords.bandcamp.com/album/if-you-could-be-here-now
If You Could Be Here Now was released June 26, 2026, both digitally and on 12-inch vinyl LP by Hush Hush Records. The album was mastered by Taylor Deupree.
