Tyler Costolo first started making music in 2017 under his own name and eventually adopted the moniker Two Meters. After two bedroom pop EPs, he started to experiment with heavier and more dissonant sounds but has since returned to his softer side under the name Ghost Fan Club. His single “Speak to Me” became what he describes as “a minor TikTok hit,” and the self-titled Ghost Fan Club EP releases on July 5. To find out more, I dropped Tyler a line…

In the past, you’ve recorded under your own name and also as Two Meters. Now you’re recording as Ghost Fan Club. What’s behind these shifts?

When I first started out I was making mostly quiet bedroom pop sort of stuff. I kinda quickly realized I wanted to make something a bit more distorted and scream-y which is the direction I took the Two Meters project in. Of course I then realized I still wanted to make the quiet stuff, so I started Ghost Fan Club to continue with that style. 

You’ve actually moved back and forth between Two Meters and Ghost Fan Club. Do you have a preference?

At this point definitely Ghost Fan Club. The last Two Meters album was entirely made during Covid lock down, so part of me just wants to leave it in that time capsule. I also use pretty terrible technique with my screams, so probably best for my vocal cords to leave it in the past haha. 

Your press materials describe your song “Speak to Me” as a “minor TikTok hit.” Can you elaborate on that?

That’s a bit tongue in check and a bit true. Speak to Me is a song about forgetting the voice of my deceased mother. I made a little joke video about how a song with that backstory kept getting added to playlists like “Indie Skate Vibes”. From there it got caught up in the algorithm for tiktok / spotify and has been by far my most successful track. 

Given the success you’ve had with TikTok, do you have any concerns regarding efforts in the US to ban the platform?

It’s pretty absurd to me that lawmakers would be wasting time on that in general. I think it’s a pretty great resource for promoting music, so I’d definitely prefer it sticks around. 

Although I do waste a lot of time endlessly scrolling so maybe it would be good for me. 

For your latest outing as Ghost Fan Club, you’ve added a drummer to the project. How has that addition changed your sound and your approach to making music?

I think it’s improved things by a pretty large amount! I had previously done all production with GFC myself. I know people out there who can make artificial drums sound great, but I’m certainly not one of them. Having real drums on the tracks gives everything a bit more of a polished feel. 

It was definitely a bit of a change. Having done everything previous solo, having a bit of collaboration was new. It was a bit of a struggle for me to convey my ideas, but Tom is a pro and did amazing. 

The Ghost Fan Club EP touches on heavy topics like depression, grief, instability, and lost time. What drew you to these topics for this particular project? 

Quite frankly – because I struggle with depression, grief, instability, and lost time, haha. I definitely view music as a way to vent all of these things, but also as a way to maybe show someone else “hey other people are feeling this way, you’re not alone”. That’s how Speak to Me had that listener spike due to Tik Tok, a bunch of commenters were saying they also struggled with the realization that they had forgotten a loved one’s voice.

I’m particularly interested in the topic of lost time. Can you say more about that? Lost how and in what way? And how do you address the issue in your music?

I think a lack of control or agency in your life can lead to time just flowing by. There is so much we all want to do, so much life we want to live, that passes by before we even realize it. 

I had started working on these songs back in 2021, it’s taken until now to get them out into the world. There is a certain type of frustration you can feel pretty deeply when you want to make something happen, but life keeps getting in the way, and time just keeps ticking. That’s mostly what the song Lovebug is about – feeling like a bug on a windshield as the world speeds by, eventually to be cleaned away. 

Do you have any plans to take your show on the road?

Honestly not at all. I absolutely love seeing live music, but I have no desire to be the one performing. I have pretty horrible anxiety and even thinking about getting on stage makes me sick, haha. 

What’s on the horizon for Ghost Fan Club—and/or Two Meters? 

No plans for Two Meters, but I’m back to writing GFC songs. I have a few ideas kicking around, hoping maybe this time for a faster turnaround!