In this interview with Lower Hollow, we explore the inspirations and personal experiences behind their new album "Threnody: Songs of Fortitude," and discuss the impact of lineup changes and creative challenges.
1. "Threnody: Songs of Fortitude" delves
into heavy themes of hurt, pain, and resilience. Can you elaborate on the
inspiration behind this album and the personal experiences that shaped its
creation?
Chad: The title of the album really says
everything about what the album is, both literally and metaphorically. A
threnody is a lament, a hymn about death. It's this literal and metaphorical
death that inspired the themes of this album. Everybody in the band has let go
of something that was incredibly hard to let go of in recent times...be it
letting go of friendships involuntarily, losing loved ones or letting go of
something you love in general. However, it's the "Fortitude" aspect
of the title that is so important here. This album is about coming out stronger
after experiencing this difficult process of loss. This album was inspired by
that loss, and the determination to come out on top after.
Trystan: Aside from the history prior to me
joining the band, my biggest inspiration for this album, lyrically, was losing
a close loved one. There was a great amount of pent-up aggression that this
journey helped me release and overcome. The Process of Letting Go is a track
that I hold very close to my heart, as it was the song that truly allowed me to
end the long-term grieving process. The lyrical aspect of Burning Bridges
speaks to overcoming the self-hate I had fallen under during the time of
grievance. While the rest of Lower Hollow may see this differently, I used this
song to get myself out of a repetitive cycle of despair and mental horror that
clouded my every waking moment. Overall, the creation of this album helped
every one of us through a vast spectrum of emotional whirlwinds.
2. How did the departure of three
founding members impact the band's dynamic and creative process for
"Threnody: Songs of Fortitude"?
Ashley: Essentially, the main songwriter/guitarist
and the lyricist/vocalist left the band, essentially leaving a huge opening for
someone to actually step up and carry the torch. Chad had already been itching
you be a writing contributor on the last album, but it felt like we already a
writing rhythm in play on “Bloom & Expire” so that just never happened.
When everything happened, Chad immediately came forward with ideas and we
started working to shape what the band is today. It sounds that simple, but
it’s been really challenging at the best of times because you wanna retain
certain aspects, bring new ideas into the fold, and also exceed expectations
and just exist as a band – all at once.
With this
high level of pressure and strain from all sides, looking back now it feels
like we really gained so much from it all, and it’s come to really serve us
well as musicians. It did just mean that we had to be really hard on ourselves
and each other, which can really be taxing if you’re not constantly in check
with guys, making sure that everyone understands the end goal, and that this
process isn’t one meant to break people, but rather one intended to shape and
build. As friends, we also grew really close, and this has ultimately meant the
world to each of us.
3. Can you describe the journey of transitioning
to a new lineup and how this change influenced the sound and direction of the
new album?
Chad: I took over the duty of songwriting
for this album. With that, it gave the opportunity to really let loose and
experiment with the sound that was originally intended for Lower Hollow to
have, as well as the opportunity for me to add my own personality to the sound.
I'm specifically referring to the atmospheric, melodic sound that's present
throughout the entire album. This sound really is inspired by a lot of post
black metal bands with that beautiful atmospheric touch to their music...bands
like Alcest, Møl and Ultar, to name a few. Though, the biggest influence for
this new Lower Hollow sound was undoubtedly Svalbard. Combining all that with
the hardcore sound that shaped our previous album, Bloom & Expire, is
really what gives this new album its identity...at least from an instrumental
perspective.
4. What were some of the challenges you faced
while writing and recording the album, and how did you overcome them?
Chad: A big challenge for me was to
understand that not all the ideas I presented were good enough to make the
final product, despite how good I thought they were. Spending time crafting
something for a demo that I would really be proud of, only to have the idea
shut down (for the sake of having a better album), was obviously very
demotivating. It took a few attempts before I learned to trust my peers'
judgement when it came to the ideas I presented, and to keep an open mind to
their ideas and contributions, essentially merging my ideas with theirs for a
better outcome. This was a good challenge to overcome and will be useful for
any collaborative efforts in the future.
5. The album is described as a 'visceral journey
through the depths of human emotion.' What do you hope listeners will take away
from this experience?
Chad: From a musical perspective, I hope
people can relate to the emotive nature of these songs. Not a single melody was
put here without the intention of conveying a certain emotion, nor was a single
riff laid down just for the sake of having one there. There was a strict
intention behind nearly every component of this album, and I truly hope people
can relate to it and appreciate it for what it is. On top of that, I hope
people feel inspired by this sound and find the joy in combining ideas that
would oppose each other in a different scenario. There are no rules when it
comes to creativity.
6. Your approach to recording combined traditional
and modern techniques. How did this hybrid method affect the final sound of
"Threnody: Songs of Fortitude"?
Ashley: I mean, it’s funny… We used this
word “hydrid” and it’s felt like a buzz word to some degree, like it’s some
sort of outta this world terminology for recording. Maybe we just gave a word
to a process all studios apply, but bedroom mixers don’t really follow. By this
I mean, we recorded real guitar cabs mic’d up, real drums mic’d up… Traditional
recording, but obviously apply drum sample replacement on close mic’d snare,
kick, toms in a sort of augmented manner with live kit. On clean guitar parts
and some lead aspects we recorded DI’s for reamping, so there’s that.
By
comparison to what you find most bands doing these days, we prefer to perform
live drums, while many bands just program midi drums and release “mix-ready”
drums. Sounds super modern that way, while our sound leans way heavier towards
a more classic “live” sound. It’s more a choice I guess, perhaps even
circumstantial if you consider how few studios are still around in South
Africa. Overall, we care about offering an authentic feel to our music and this
certainly means a lot to me as a musician and studio producer. Taking this
approach all in all leaves a listener with a better impression of who we are as
a band live.
7. What role did your home studio play in the
recording process, and how did the environment contribute to the album's
overall feel?
Ashley: Well, our home studio is a one room
studio, same place we rehearse and write so it’s really a comfortable space
with no pretenses going in. In a one room studio, you’re blasting guitar cabs
with nowhere to run, so honestly - it really felt like each guitar performance
was fueled by the energy of just loudness in general. Consider natural
feedback, working with it and using it in a musical way to shape your songs, and
then consider as a player standing in front of blasting amp, I mean it’s very
gratifying to feel, and so that’s cool to be able to capture that. I think this
sort of tone and energy really translates well in our overall sound as a band,
so harnessing that in all the right ways only serves the songs more.
8. How do you balance maintaining your core sound
with experimenting and evolving musically, especially with a new lineup?
Chad: This was a lot easier than I
thought it would have been when we first started writing the album. People who
are pretty familiar with Bloom & Expire will still find a lot of (what I
feel were) signature sounds to that album present in this album, too. This new
album obviously takes our sound in a completely new direction, but there are
little bits here and there that "pay homage" to the influences that
shaped Bloom & Expire. It was combining the old with the new that made the
new music so fun to write. At first, a song would start off with an idea that
felt extremely risky because of how different it sounded to our previous album,
so I'd try balance that out by adding sections that sounded like they could fit
in perfectly on the previous album. As time went on, I felt less afraid to
branch out to wherever I wanted to in a field of musical ideas and still feel
confident about it.
9. What are some standout tracks on
"Threnody: Songs of Fortitude" that you feel best represent the
album's themes and your growth as a band?
Chad: Definitely the title track,
Threnody. I feel that it's the best song we've written and probably the most
diverse song on the album. There are parts there, especially in the drumming,
that I haven't heard anyone else do before. There's clean singing with a
massive outro that leaves you with a positive aftertaste. There's even a short
cello piece by Christine Fourie in the clean section. All of these things sum
up the diversity of the album, while the lyrical theme speaks into what the
entire message of the album is about.
Another
standout track for me is the closing song, Fundamental. It's a song that really
throws in all of what shaped Lower Hollow's sound on both the previous album
and this one. It has calming cleans, signature melodic hardcore, a breakdown, a
super-fast and thrashy section... this feels like the track I'd tell someone to
listen to if they asked what our band sounded like, just because it has a bit
of everything that makes Lower Hollow what it is.
10. With the release of "Threnody: Songs of
Fortitude" via Mongrel Records, what are your plans for promoting the
album, including live performances or tours?
Ashley: Solid touring. It’s an aspect we just feel will help strengthen our fanbase, but also something that will expand our reach. I think for any band, it’s a fun experience but it’s rewarding to see growth and build a sustainable following. South Africa isn’t the biggest country and venues are few and far between, so we’re doing our nationwide “No Love · No Mercy” Tour now to support the album’s release and we’re already planning follow up dates to close off 2024, in between local shows. Beyond touring, we’re building on socials and focusing our attention to building our online presence through video content centred around the various aspects of our current release and just other more band orientated content and ideas we want to share.
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