With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

“Ghost Within” – The Fair Attempts January 25, 2026


“Ghost Within” is the new single from Finnish dark electro powerhouse the Fair Attempts. It rides on the crest of a darkwave tsunami on a surfboard constructed from Stygian gothic tones, solid industrial hooks. It is haunted by the living spirits of Trent Reznor, later Depeche Mode and Gary Numan. The opening few bars drive into your very being with an insistence that it is impossible to resist. I am still singing the chorus in my head even hours after listening. I am reliably informed that the song examines your internal monsters: negative self-talk, doubts, pride before collapse, and the subtle ways the human mind feeds on its own fear. The song portrays self-awareness as a mirror maze, where reflection offers no clear exit. The Fair Attempts frontman Timo Haakana says this of the track “This is a theme I’ve touched on in other songs because it’s something I struggle with. Ghosts may be coming to get you, but there’s one already inside you“. This hard hitting and heavy rocking tune fits the band’s dystopian aesthetic perfectly.

The Fair Attempts was founded by Finnish artist and producer Timo Haakana and his wife Starwing. Apparently every song from the Fair attempts is rooted in the fictional universe created in Starwing’s novel ‘Dreaming Your Dream’. This song is cinematic in scope and ambition. It is the perfect soundtrack toe keep us safe and entertained as the world in its current state drifts towards an inevitable apocalypse. Let’s hope that we don’t experience that apocalypse, but if we do listening to the Fair Attempts and “Ghost Within” will certainly help to sweeten the pain. You need to experience the “Ghost Within” to help you banish and exorcise your own ghosts within!

If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog. You can also follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin.

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch via EMail.