Familiar Sound
What does one get from an indie band with a lead singer who has collaborated with artists like Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator and Wanya Morris? A record that is both familiar and new all at the same time. The newest release, Romantic, from Los Angeles based band Slow Hollows is an album that combines nostalgia, lo-fi and pop. While it’s all music that has been done and exhausted before, Slow Hollows take on the genres is refreshing without being overambitious.
It seems that in the land of new diet fads and endless traffic jams, something other than the best kale salad recipe is being produced. With so many indie bands coming out of the City of Angels, it is difficult to determine those who are lasting and those who are just a flash in the pan. Luckily for Slow Hollows, if they continue to churn out records every year like they have been doing since 2014, their underground success might keep them from slipping into oblivion like so many other indie rock groups.
Romantic is everything one would hope and imagine an indie album to sound like. It’s filled with dreamy choruses, lyrics of self-doubt and feeling misunderstood and the occasional saxophone solo. The album begins with the song “Spirit Week,” a dulcet, nostalgic opener with lo-fi guitar and almost monotone like vocals from Austin Feinstein. What follows next is “Again” a more upbeat track where trumpets play over buoyant guitar. The song “4141” sounds like it was plucked from the ‘80s with its melodic saxophone solo and void of any vocals. It sounds as if it would be better suited in a film from 1984 complete with shoulder pads and bad perms. “Hospital Flowers” and “Romantic” channel a combination of Ryan Adams and the best of lo-fi.
Romantic is an album that rests comfortably in its familiarity and Slow Hollows doesn’t seem discontented with their sound. Instead, they take genres that are tried and true and do not complicate them by adding any unnecessary aspects to them. This is a simple album, and because of their refreshing approach, the simplicity makes it satisfying for the listener.
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