I became aware of U.K.-based prog-rocker Joe Bailey through the band Dark Monarchy, his hard-hitting collaboration with Mark Anthony K.
Soon enough, I explored Bailey’s entire five-album catalog via his Bandcamp page and was equally impressed. Bailey recently dropped the single, “Waiting” as a preview of his new Reficul Records release, Ghosts.
With its spellbinding synthesizer intro and Bailey’s haunting lead vocals sounds, “Waiting” sets a scene that is memorizing but in contrast the mid-song tempo shift, which is accompanied by surging electric guitars.
The song spews forth, with a double bass drum-powered rhythm and a Dream Theater-like chorus. “Waiting” seems to touch on the current devolution of our world, building in intensity while creating a curiosity around the major themes held in Ghosts.
The new album drops today (May 14, 2021), with “Waiting” as an excellent opening salvo.
- Steve Porcaro, Vernon Reid, Steve Morse + Others: Preston Frazier’s Best of 2025 Pop and Rock - January 19, 2026
- Oz Noy, Catherine Russell, Bobby Broom + Others: Preston Frazier’s Best of 2025 Jazz - January 12, 2026
- Yes, Steve Winwood, Joe Walsh, Tim Morse + Others: Preston Frazier’s Best of 2025 Reissues - January 2, 2026



