Hollow Coves, the Australian duo infused with indie-folk sounds, composed by Matt Carins and Ryan Henderson, presents their new musical gem titled “Nothing To Lose,” set to release on March t1st. This album marks their latest musical endeavor after a significant five-year hiatus. The anticipation has been rewarded with a work that draws inspiration from a childhood photo book, embracing a celebration of simplicity as a response to the digital chaos that surrounds us.
The presence of Hollow Coves in the music scene is undeniable. Formed in 2014, the duo enthusiastically embraced the indie-folk genre, delivering anthem after anthem, including the renowned “Coastline.” Their previous album, “Moments,” released in 2019, has already garnered praise and recognition from music critics, setting high expectations for this new chapter.
Amid the challenging months of the pandemic, Hollow Coves did not let themselves be discouraged. Instead, they found inspiration to create the EP “Blessings,” recording in a cabin on the picturesque Gold Coast. This is yet another example of how the duo, firmly rooted in the surrounding oceans, transforms challenges into creative opportunities.
As we prepare to welcome the new album and immerse ourselves in their inspired melodies, Hollow Coves is gearing up for a world tour, carrying with them the important message of positivity and simplicity in a digital era that often seems overwhelming. Hollow Coves, with their engaging and profound music, are ready to become the soundtrack of our lives, celebrating the beauty of simplicity in an increasingly complex world.
National Daily Press had the pleasure of interviewing them.
1.Your upcoming album, “Nothing To Lose,” set to be released on March 1st, draws inspiration from the pages of a childhood photo book. Could you share how these images influenced the creation of the album?
A lot of the album was inspired by the realisation that life in this day and age is filled with a lot of noise. If we get a moment of silence we can just reach into our pocket and pull out our phones and fill our minds with more noise. Choosing to slow down and be present is a way we can feel more content and fulfilled. Looking back at the old photo albums of my childhood made me realise that we now live in such a fast paced digital world where even the simple treasures of a physical photo are just no cherished. Memories get lost and we move onto the next thing so fast.
2. Your album is described as an anthem to preservation, care, and appreciation in the overwhelming saturation of the digital era. How did you address this theme in your work, and what message do you aim to convey with “Nothing To Lose”?
We live in a time when silence . The world seems to be saying that we can have unlimited options and should do whatever makes us happy. The songs on ‘Nothing to Lose’ all have a common thread to bring back authenticity and give the listener a perspective of life that we both feel is so important to have. “I’m ready to let go of the things that I can’t control” There’s so many points of views but in the end what’s the most important? “There’s two sides to everything that I’m told, where do I stand? Where do I go” Stop being part of a scene and be authentic “So come on give it up you rely on the scene, It’s getting harder to fake it” what do you stand for? “I wanna believe in something with meaning” I guess if there’s a word that sums up the album it would be ‘authenticity’
3. Your musical style is often characterized as indie-folk with a poetic simplicity. How do you strive to convey this sense of weightlessness through your music?
We’ve always believed that there is power in simplicity. However, it’s not always easy to pull it off. Simple lyrics can also very easily sound lame. We try to evoke emotions that people will be able to relate to and generally the best way we’ve found to achieve that is to write about things we have experienced or observed. Our goal is always to create music that will take the listener somewhere else or to make them think about something bigger.
4. “Nothing To Lose” features collaborations with various musicians, including Matt Corby and other Australian artists. How was it working with them, and how did they contribute to the overall sound of the album?
Yeah, the whole collaboration thing has never been a super smooth process for us in the past. It’s so hard to find someone that really gets your music and can also add a lot to it. However, writing with Matt Corby, Alex Henrikkson and Chris Collins was such a smooth experience. The songs seemed to come quite easily. Having them collaborate on the album definitely added a lot to the progression of our sound. We also had my brother, Ryan Carins, help out with a few tracks which added another unique flavour. Matt Corby ended up producing the whole record out of his studio ‘Rainbow Valley’ in Northern NSW. His drumming and bass playing was such an epic addition that matured our sound and brought something really fresh to the overall sound of this record.
5. Your music has become a kind of soundtrack for special moments for your listeners. How have you experienced this phenomenon, and what does it mean for you to be considered among the most used artists on platforms like Instagram Reels?
It’s quite mind blowing to be honest. We never would of thought in our wildest dreams that our music would have such an impact to so many different people. It’s hard to fathom the impact it has had. It just shows how powerful a song can be and how important it is to be true to yourself when writing music.
6. “Coastline,” with 10 million views, is one of your most popular tracks and has found success on Instagram Reels. How did you react to this success, and how does it influence your creativity?
We’re just super grateful that that song has reached so many people. It’s kind of hard to fathom the numbers. However, we try not to let it influence our creativity too much. It can be easy to let those metrics become the way we measure the “success” of a song. However, we believe that there are things that are so much more important when creating music that can’t be measured. We want to create music that will resonate with people. That means so much more than numbers.
7. During the pandemic, you built a recording cabin and created the EP “Blessings.” How did you cope with the period of isolation, and how did it influence your music?
We were fortunate enough that we were able to expand our creativity throughout covid by building our own very simple music studio. Ryan and I lived together at the time and we thought we’d try get into producing our own music. We had never done that before. Through the pandemic we were able to write, produce and record the Blessings EP. There was a lot of experimenting and learning with mic techniques and production skills that have helps us tremendously with where we’re at now and a lot of the skills that we learnt throughout that time were invaluable throughout the process of demoing all the songs on ‘Nothing to Lose’
8. With the imminent release of “Nothing To Lose” and an ongoing world tour, what can we expect from your new material, and what are your expectations for the meeting with the Italian audience in Milan on April 7, 2024?
‘Nothing to Lose’ is an album that we’re so proud of and feels authentic to us. We hope you can hear the progression in the music and the maturity that has developed. We’re so excited to play these new songs live. We feel they’ll take our live show to the next level. Last time we were in Milan the crowd was amazing so our expectations are quite high but we have no doubt that you will exceed them.
Nothing To Lose
Release date: Friday, March 1st 2024
Tracklist:
1. Nothing to Lose 2. Letting Go 3. Milk & Honey 4. Photographs 5. Harder To Fake It
6. Let’s Go 7. Purple 8. On The Way 9 Be Alright 10. Fact or Fiction 11. See You Soon