Do you have a story behind your artist name?
During Covid, Ian and I got together at my house, which is on a street named Burntmill, to work on some new songs. And since a lot of our songs focus on stories from the past, we thought Burntmill Ghosts was a fitting name. Also, there happens to be a story about a Burntmill ghost in New Jersey, which is where we’re from. But that’s just a complete coincidence.
Tells us a bit about your music journey. How has it shaped you?
All three of us have been in bands in the local scene since high school and we’re really fortunate to have found each other at this stage in the game because we get along really well. We treat each other like brothers. Though we all gravitate towards punk rock in general, we all have slightly different influences. Ian and Justin also listen to a lot of thrash, metal, and hip hop. And my influences are all over the place too. So we’re pulling from a lot of different places subconsciously.
How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with it?
I’m usually pretty leery of pigeonholing our sound so when people ask what kind of music we play, I simply say ‘punk’. But other people tend to say we have somewhat of a combination of a street punk and skate punk with a lot of melody.
What drew you to the genre /instruments you’re playing right now?
Besides hearing the Ramones and the Clash on the radio and MTV, my first interaction with punk rock was watching surf videos in the early ’90s when I was 13 years old. That’s where I first heard Bad Religion, Pennywise, Guttermouth, Lagwagon and a bunch of other Epitaph and Fat Wreck Chords bands. I was drawn to how passionate, honest, and real the songs sounded. And from there I went backwards and did a deep dive into the early days of punk. And I started going to punk shows in the Asbury Park area and realized that I wanted to sing in a punk rock band, though I didn’t even know if I could sing.
What inspires you to write music?
I never really force myself to sit down and write a song. Sometimes, I have a riff that I’m sitting on for a while without words because I don’t like to write a song just for the sake of getting it finished. I like to read a lot, both fiction and non-fiction. So whenever I come across a cool story, I typically think, ‘oh this would be a cool song’. And I like to write songs from other people’s perspective. Tom Waits and Shane MacGowan are two of my biggest lyrical influences, so I think that comes out a lot in my songwriting as well.
Would you tell us about your current project, album/EP, or song you’re promoting?
‘The Mirror’ was one of those songs where I was sitting on for a while. I couldn’t think of anything that fit the mood of the song. Eventually I just started writing about feelings of self-doubt and fitting in. It’s one of the rare songs that we wrote that doesn’t have a story behind it. Pretty straight forward. The song has somewhat of a different feel compared to the songs on our debut, ‘Old Records’. So we thought it was a good first glance at our next album, which we’re going to release next year. We also just released a video for ‘The Mirror’ that we filmed in Ian’s colonial-era house, which sets the tone perfectly for the song.
What do you want listeners to take away from listening to your music?
While we recognize that we’re not breaking any ground with our music, we love hearing when people tell us we have a sound of our own. And we love hearing when people tell us how our songs affect them emotionally. I make it a point to focus on every single word I write. Every word, every phrase is important to the song so it’s nice to hear that people recognize how much work we put into the songwriting process. Also, we want people to see how much fun we have playing these songs live. Because that’s the main reason we’re doing this. We just want to have a good time, playing music we love to play.
Who are your top three artists right now? If that’s not a fair question, what’s your favorite song right now?
Oh man, this is a tough one. I always gravitate back to a Tom Waits record at least once a week because no matter how many times I listen, I always hear something new and I always learn something. I’ve also been listening to the new Bouncing Souls record a lot, which is really good. And I’m not sure how or why, but I’ve listened to Phoebe Bridgers a lot lately. Her song ‘Funeral’ is so devastatingly beautiful.
What’s the easiest way for fans to connect with you?
We’re pretty responsive on both Instagram and Facebook.
Stream “The Mirror” here: https://ffm.bio/BURNTMILLGHOSTS
Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2sqsr-GYW0
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burntmillghosts/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/burntmillghosts
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6CyRnqMFLnBuOsx0rZVnw0?si=0jyjNMCVQweYenSaH_fKQg
What’s next for you?
We’re going back into the studio with Pete Steinkopf in November to finish up the album. We’re also looking to play some places in 2027 that we’ve never played before so we’re looking forward to that.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
We’d like to thank Double Helix Records and SBAM Records for all of their support. We’re very fortunate to be a part of these labels who care a lot about the music they put out. And we’d also like to thank all of the people who listen to our music and come to our shows to sing along. That truly means the world to us.
Bio:
New Jersey punk trio Burntmill Ghosts have released their new single “The Mirror” via Double Helix Records and SBAM Records. The track serves as the first preview of the band’s forthcoming sophomore album, due in 2027.
Recorded at Little Eden Studios in Asbury Park with Pete Steinkopf of The Bouncing Souls, “The Mirror” pairs the band’s melodic punk urgency with a candid message about self-doubt, social discomfort and the pressure to present a version of ourselves that does not feel genuine. The single was mastered by Scott Sellers of Rufio.
“Some days, for whatever reason, we don’t like what we see in the mirror,” says vocalist and guitarist Pete Vincelli. “And some days, we just have to grin and bear uncomfortable social situations. So we become something that we’re not. But deep down, we know who we really are, and we should simply own it. Stop faking it and just be ourselves. It’s kinda like the ol’ saying, ‘Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.’”
The song’s accompanying video brings that internal struggle into an appropriately eerie setting. Filmed inside bassist Ian Egloff’s colonial-era home on the Jersey Shore—a house the band insists is genuinely haunted—the location offered a natural backdrop for a song about appearances, hidden identities and confronting what looks back at you.
“We filmed the video in Ian’s house, which is an old colonial-era home on the Jersey Shore,” Vincelli explains. “And it’s definitely haunted, so it felt like a perfect fit for this song.”
Burntmill Ghosts began taking shape in 2021 when Vincelli and Egloff, formerly of The Fullers, started revisiting a collection of songs they had been developing. Initially fine-tuned around a fire pit over a few beers, the project became a full-fledged band with the addition of drummer Justin Rodrigues.
The trio released its debut album, Old Records, through SBAM Records and Double Helix Records in 2024. Recorded and mixed by Steinkopf and mastered at The Blasting Room by Grammy Award-winning engineer Jason Livermore—whose credits include Rise Against, NOFX, Descendents and Hot Water Music—the album also featured AJ Martinez of Doc Rotten on drums for three tracks.
Following critical praise for Old Records and shows throughout the Northeast and Midwest, Burntmill Ghosts returned to Little Eden to begin work on their second album. “The Mirror” offers the first glimpse of that next chapter, with more new music set to follow ahead of the album’s 2027 release.
BURNTMILL GHOSTS ARE:
Pete Vincelli – Vocals/Guitar
Justin Rodrigues – Drums
Ian Egloff – Bass/Vocals
Stream “The Mirror” here: https://ffm.bio/BURNTMILLGHOSTS
Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2sqsr-GYW0
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burntmillghosts/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/burntmillghosts
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6CyRnqMFLnBuOsx0rZVnw0?si=0jyjNMCVQweYenSaH_fKQg
