Our weekly fix of the best new music as Julia Mason brings us her review of new singles from Hollow Coves and The Klittens
Artist: The Klittens
Track: Universal Experience
Amsterdam's The Klittens release their new single Universal Experience, a gorgeous slice of fuzzy pop combining glorious harmonies and jangly guitars. Indeed the backing sounds like an off kilter mix of instruments all blended in together.
The Klittens were borne out of the Amsterdam underground scene and their DIY approach is beautifully reflected in their music. Fresh and breezy yet unconventional with their soundscapes, Universal Experience may seem joyous with its catchy vibe but listen closely to the lyrics. As vocalist Yaël Dekker explains: "The concept behind the lyrics isn't very joyful but the song overall came out happy. I like that contrast."
The band's drummer Laurie Zantinge goes further, saying: "We were recording demos and already did a lot of writing and rehearsing for those songs beforehand. Then suddenly Yaël walked into the room, randomly sang the chorus of Universal Experience and we were immediately hooked. I think it took us less than two hours before we had the whole song finished and recorded the demo. The catchiness of the chorus just made it really easy to make it into a full pop song."
The Klitten’s mix the catchiness of pop and fuzz with the darkness of art-rock and post-punk, thus creating a sound of their own. Universal Experience follows last year’s EP Citrus. Just listen to track Acid Violet 43. Both songs are created by the same band, amply demonstrating just how talented and versatile The Klitttens are. The band will return for further UK shows in January with their friends in Personal Trainer. See below for live dates.
January
29th - The Arts Centre, Norwich
30th - The Horn, St Albans
31st - Junction 2, Cambridge
February
1st - The Crescent, York
2nd - Trades Club, Hebden Bridge
3rd - Sidney & Matilda, Sheffield
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Artist: Hollow Coves
Track: Letting Go
Hollow Cove are indie-folk duo Ryan Henderson and Matt Carins and they have released their new track Letting Go. It provides a soundtrack to the feeling of change and is a beautiful song full of the most captivating vocals.
Thoughtful and meditative it is nonetheless a mesmerising study in what we need at times, which is to slow down and be calm. In our tumultuous world this is easy to forget. This is self-care for your both head and your heart, passionate and honest.
The crisp plucking guitar at the beginning is immediately ear-catching. Speaking about Letting Go, the band say: "The song is all about letting go and moving on into a new season of life … I feel like it’s so easy to get caught up in the feeling of being trapped when everything is going wrong and thinking nothing will ever change. A small shift in your mind or a change of space like moving back to your hometown where you can be vulnerable with the people that actually care about you."
Letting Go follows the single Harder to Fake It - the duo’s tender melodies and poignant lyrics have resonated with fans amassing the band an astonishing 1 billion+ on-demand global streams to date and boasting a YouTube channel subscriber base of 508k+. Hollow Coves are obviously touching something that we need right now, and that is moments of connection, calm and contemplation but all wrapped in their breathtaking harmonies and soothing soundscapes.
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