ACTORS – ALBUM REVIEW

Slow Hollows’ Actors is an album that allows you to feel and immerse yourself in the unique experience crafted through the casual, yet personal, lyrics composited in every song, along with the complex and unique and engaging instrumentation of each track.

Some of the key aspects that stood out to me about this album was the clever use of repetition, the way the instrumentation helped to evoke a tactile experience, and how the instrumentation itself takes on so many shapes to showcase the versatile sound of Slow Hollows.

The slow-burn feeling of “Actress” is almost frustrating, for lack of a better word. The saxophone takes you by surprise, and though it is an intro track, it feels as if it deserved its own exploration. It is perfect as a hook, and because of its subtle jazz sound, it catches you off guard. It raises an unexpected feeling inside you, unsure of what follows; the lyricism doesn’t differ from the succeeding tracks of Actors, maintaining the constant repetition in lyrics seen in “Actress” refrain. This takes us to “You Are Now on Fire,” a much more upbeat, percussive track. The vocal and instrumental clarity allows you to focus on the addictive beat “Actress” cleverly segued into; the kind of song that makes you nod your head to the beat, wondering how story and sound evolves. I would say this is another critical aspect of the album that constantly kept me engaged; the unexpected progression of the music and lyrics, leaving me to wonder how exactly I would interact with the song. As the song leads to its outro, we hear the saxophone return, and it is refreshing, reminding you of “Actress”; even if that connection is not made for everyone that listens to it, it still adds a level to the synthesized instrumentation that keeps the song interesting. As the chorus repeats, I was believing that yes, ‘I was on fire’.

The use of repetition that appears in songs like “Heart” easily get stuck in your head, matched with an equally repetitive beat. Though repetition through sound and voice can make the song tired and stagnant, Austin Anderson’s cool and low vocals adds depth to this repetition, making it easy to get lost in the harmony created through the simple instrumentation and calming vocals. “Heart,” in particular, does this very well, but so does “Young Man”. The simple guitar chords and electronic instrumentation that initially plays allows you to relax, but the moment the percussion picks up, you find yourself racing with this evolving beat. It’s exciting, and yet the vocals remain constant despite the speeding instrumentation.

“Two Seasons” uses contrasting sounds expertly; the lyrics evoke this longing feeling, creating an ethereal atmosphere backed by minor chords in the instrumentation. The way it tells a story through its repetitive is so engaging and addicting; right at the hook before the point lyrics, “do you love me or, do you love the feeling”, the instrumentation switches to major chords that add to this wandering, lost feeling you experience.

“Posture” is a calming, lo-fi track that instantly relaxes you, and without a doubt made me imagine a quiet night in the city. It evokes strong imagery, and remains consistent with calming and emotive sounds produced in the previous tracks. We see the duality of Actors through “Cowboy,” a musical (and minor tonal) shift from the previous tracks. The acoustics and simple instrumentation present in this track relaxes you in a way that differs from “Posture;” there was a naturalistic feel to it, an emotive track that felt a little more rebellious and free.

“Come Back In” reminded me of being on the road, with its constant guitar riffs and subtle sonic melody. Following the second chorus, it feels as though we are on a journey of our own with the layered instrumentation; it is reflective and imaginative through lyrics like “Sleep wrecked so I won’t forget / How to be as an island with the sand and in the snow”.

“Blood” has a fun, peppy beat that contrasts the quieted and muted vocals; it is easy to get lost in the addicting sound of the guitar and synth that carries the first half of the song, distracting you from the lyrics. I found that when trying to return to the lyrics, I was lost in the hypnotic repetition of “Seasons, bad trips, fevers, mothers,” only to return to the upbeat chorus. The instrumentation for this song has a wild feeling, as if the song felt unrestricted by a sound or genre, with the horn and string sounds that play towards the end, along with drumming reminiscent of a march.

The first line of “Get Along” encapsulates the feeling you experience with the songs following “Posture”; “Sunset over simple chords”. The muted, electronic sounds emphasize the lyrics greatly; you pay attention to what is said, and the growing percussion clicks add to attention given to the lyrics. Unlike “Blood,” I wasn’t losing myself in the sound, instead hyper-focused on what was being, how it was being said. It was as if the low tone sung in “Blood” was brought back for this track, instead given its time to shine. Once again, we hear horn-like sounds as the track segues into its outro, with echoes of ‘get along’.

“Hell” is one I enjoyed for its unexpected tone. The muffled, yet light vocals, coordinated with the sound of acoustic guitar strums, seems to differ from the song title; the calming tone is one that carries throughout tracks like “Cowboy” and “Get Along”. This song allows itself to be free like “Blood,” and the lyrics reflect this feeling of being free through personal pronouns and otherworldly feelings evoked through ‘soul’ and ‘light’. It is interesting how specific words stand out in this song, despite their simplicity; it emphasizes the creativity behind the track, which each song does in their own, unique way.

The reprise of “Heart” feels like a different song in a refreshing way, with the repetition of “Keep on running” that gets you hooked. There are slight dissonant tones that carry through the song’s overall mood, and addicting in a way isolated from “Heart”.

I found when describing this album, single words would come to mind like ‘ethereal’ or ‘imaginative;’ the lyrics and musicality help to evoke different pictures for each song, despite the repetitive use of sounds. Listening to these songs repeatedly made me consider that music naturally allows for different perspectives because it is an artistic medium. It is not often that I find albums or songs to be distinctly unique or confusing in the way I think it should be interpreted; sometimes it is easy to distinguish why or how someone develops an interest in something, but Actors challenges you with its immersive, differing moods and journeys. This album is more than just a collection of songs; it’s an experience, a series of stories, music that allows you to envision and experience your own, personal, tactile response.

Review Written By: Alisha Rao

Photography & Collage Art By: Nessa Uy

Slow Hollows: ACTORS – ALBUM REVIEW