Kill the Ghost, Keep the Magic: Inside little image’s New Era

Kill the Ghost, Keep the Magic: Inside little image’s New Era

Ten years after releasing their debut album Musings, little image stands at a new creative peak. With their upcoming record Kill the Ghost, the Dallas‑born, Nashville‑based trio is reconnecting with the spirit that first sparked their journey—friendship, community, and the thrill of building something bigger than themselves. I sat down with vocalist Jackson Simmons to talk about the band’s evolution, the emotional weight behind the new album, and the moments on the road that shaped who they are today.

Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in Little Image.
My name is Jackson Simmons, and I’m the singer in little image.

Where are you guys based out of, first of all, and what is your local music scene like out there?
We’re based out of Nashville, Tennessee now—two of us live there—but we’re originally from Dallas. That’s really where we claim as home. We grew up in the Dallas scene, and back then it was very rock‑heavy, very indie and underground. Lots of metal shows, lots of gritty venues. It’s still kicking. We love the Dallas music scene. It’s amazing.

Absolutely. I got to visit Dallas a few years ago and went to Deep Ellum—what an amazing scene.
That’s where we grew up. We were playing down there almost every weekend. Deep Ellum is cool. It’s definitely changed a lot since we were 16 or 17 playing gigs, but we still love it. It’s our roots.

How does Nashville compare to Deep Ellum for you guys?
Nashville feels more like a national city. It’s kind of like LA or New York in the sense that people move there specifically to pursue music. So it’s less of a “local scene,” if that makes sense. Dallas is very city‑focused—very local, very grassroots. Nashville is more of a place where you go to explore yourself as an artist and figure out what’s next.

Let’s talk about Kill the Ghost. Is there any story or concept behind the album title and the song “Kill the Ghost”?
Yeah, totally. The whole album has a pretty overarching theme. There’s this rabbit character that’s the centerpiece of the record. The rabbit represents the magic we’ve been chasing as adults—trying to reconnect with our roots and remember why we love what we do. We live in a time where it’s easy to forget your “why.” We chose Kill the Ghost as the album title because that song feels like the emotional center of everything. There are a lot of characters woven throughout the album, and the ghost is one of them. It kind of feels like the main character, if that makes sense.

Let’s talk about a few of the songs. “The Pressure”—give me a little background on that one.
“The Pressure” was one of the earlier songs we wrote for the album, and it was actually the first one we released. We had some great success with certain songs on our last record, and I think we were feeling—not pressure from our team or anyone around us—but pressure from ourselves to outdo what we’d done before. As artists, we’re always evolving, always moving forward. That song is about finding peace in that pressure, but also not letting it consume you.

“Real Estate.” Tell me about that one.
Yeah, Troy actually wrote that one. It ties into the themes of Kill the Ghost a lot. He was in a headspace where he felt like he was getting in his own way—like there was so much noise taking up space in his mind. He used “real estate” as a metaphor for that mental clutter. There’s just so much noise these days, and that song points to how we’ve personally had to navigate it.

“Always Ends” at the end of the record — tell me about that one.
Yeah, so throughout making this album, we went through a lot together. We even started going to therapy as a band. We really fought for this record. And at the end of the day, we came to this realization that we just love doing this together. There have definitely been times where being in a band is really, really hard. But it’s important to remember the people you’re doing it with and the family you build along the way. That song felt like a really fitting way to close the album—almost like saying, I always want to do this with you guys. It’s a song about our story and our journey. It paints pictures of moments we’ve shared, things we’ve been through.

In the second verse, there’s a reference to one of our first tours ever. Back then, we stayed anywhere we could—people’s floors, couches, whatever—because we had no money for hotels. One night we ended up staying in this really strange warehouse where a guy lived. He was the nicest, most hospitable person, but the place was just… odd. It felt like something we had to write about because it was so personal to us. Yeah, that song was always meant to close the album. It just feels right.

What are you looking forward to most on the upcoming Kill the Ghost Tour? Maybe just being back on the road again?
Absolutely. In 2025 we mostly did support tours, which was amazing—so many great bands took us out. Almost Monday, who are great friends of ours, and Joywave, who we’ve been fans of for a long time. But one thing we’ve always strived for is making our live show the centerpiece of who we are.

When you’re supporting, it’s harder to give people the full experience you want to give them. So I’m excited to finally play all the new songs, plus older ones, and really put on our show again. It’s been a minute, and I think that’s what I’m most excited about.

You mentioned the tour with Almost Monday, who I believe are your label mates. What were the highlights of touring with them?
Man, honestly, getting to tour Europe with Almost Monday was unbelievable. It was our first time ever being over there. We shared a bus with them—they’re just great guys, and we’ve known them for years. It was cool to finally play shows together. We also toured the U.S. with Joywave, who we’ve loved for a long time.

Community is a huge part of why we do this. We just want to connect with people, and it’s wild getting to do that in places you never expected. One of my favorite moments from last year was playing Prague in the Czech Republic. I hadn’t really thought much about Prague beforehand—I don’t even look at the schedule before tours; I like discovering where we’re going day‑of. But Prague ended up being one of our favorite shows we’ve ever played. Experiencing that with the Almost Monday guys was so special. They have such a cool thing going on over there.

One of the bands you opened for was Panic! at the Disco. What was that experience like?
Very surreal. And it was on their last tour before they decided to take a break. There’s really no way to describe playing in an arena—it’s an unreal experience. It felt like magic. Since we were kids, we’ve always wanted to put on a big production. Troy, our drummer, really instilled that in us early on. Even in tiny clubs, we’d bring these extravagant light shows and production setups. So getting to do that on a stage that big felt like, Yeah, this is what we’ve always dreamed of doing. Not in an arrogant way—just in a way that felt fulfilling, like we were stepping into something we’ve worked toward for years. And the Panic! team was so kind to us. It was truly an honor.

Next year marks the 10‑year anniversary of Musings. When you think back on that album and the fact that it’s been nearly a decade, what comes to mind now?
That’s crazy. You know what’s funny? This year in particular, I’ve had such a fresh appreciation for it. We made that album when we were like 18 years old. We crowdfunded it with the help of amazing people, and looking back, it’s wild what we were able to do at that age. A friend reached out recently and reminded me of what we created on that record, and it’s cool to revisit those moments in your artistic journey and appreciate what you did back then.

What’s exciting is that going into this new album, we really tried to tap back into some of that early sound. Obviously we’ve grown a lot, but reconnecting with that grassroots, band‑in‑a‑room energy was really inspiring. So yeah, it’s been interesting reflecting on Musings this year. In the past, I didn’t think about it much, but now it’s been cool to look back.

Do you still play songs from that album?
Yeah! There’s one song—“Bottles,” the second track on the record—that we’ve played at every single show. We’ve never not played it. When we’re headlining and have more room in the set, we’ll throw in a couple more, especially when we’re in Dallas for the OG fans who’ve been with us since we were kids. It’s fun to bring those songs back and give them a new life.

One of your songs, “Out of My Mind,” has 12 million plays on Spotify. What does a number like that even mean to you?
It’s awesome. It did really well on Spotify, and it went number one at radio, which was such a cool accomplishment. You write a song and you never really know what it’s going to do. Sometimes you believe in something and expect it to take off, and then a totally different song ends up being the one. “Out of My Mind” just had this force behind it for so long. We still play it at every show. Seeing numbers like that is surreal. It’s amazing.

You have a new album about to come out. What do you hope the rest of the year brings for you and for little image?
We’ve wanted to do this for a long time, and we’ve always stayed true to what we’re doing. We’d love to see the album do well, of course, but we’ve also made peace with what we created—it feels really good. I think the biggest thing is bringing more people into the community we’ve built. We want people to be impacted by the music. That’s why we make it—to make people feel something.

In such a fast‑paced, transactional music world, we hope people take a moment to sit with the album and really live with it. I think it could be impactful. And we want to keep touring and meet as many people as we can. That’s why we got into this in the first place—to be in community with people. So yeah, we’d love to see that community grow and reach more people.

Do you have any message for your fans who are reading this right now?
We love you guys. Thank y’all for sticking with us and being part of this thing. The whole meaning of our name is that we, the band, are just a small piece of something much bigger that we’re building. You guys are the reason we get to do this. The fact that you keep coming back means everything. We genuinely love you, and we’re so honored to get to do this journey with you.

In Conclusion

As little image steps into a new chapter with Kill the Ghost, it’s clear the band isn’t just evolving—they’re reconnecting with the spark that first brought them together. From their early days in Deep Ellum to arena stages and European tours, their journey has been shaped by community, resilience, and an unwavering belief in the magic of making music with people you love.

Talking with Jackson Simmons, you feel that gratitude in every story he tells. Whether he’s reflecting on the scrappy beginnings of Musings, the surreal rush of hearing millions stream their songs, or the simple joy of being back on the road, one thing remains constant: little image is a band built on heart.

With a new album, a new tour, and a decade of growth behind them, they’re stepping forward with purpose—and inviting fans old and new to be part of something bigger. If Kill the Ghost is any indication, the next ten years of little image are going to be something special.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

little image on Instagram